For Spazio 21, Genoa
“How you can tell a little-known and occult history of your city?”
The exhibition 70 works from the MAdFI collection presented a selection of works from the vast heritage of the Museo Attivo delle Forme Inconsapevoli (MAdFI), founded in 1992 by Claudio Costa. Curating this exhibition, together with the museum team, was an experience that allowed me to explore and tell a hidden and fascinating part of Genoa’s history.
The works on display came from the art-therapy workshop, one of the workshops run by the Institute of Unconscious Medicine (IMFI) in collaboration with ASL3 and the Department of Mental Health. These works, created by patients housed in the Quarto facility, represent a rare example of irregular art and offer a unique insight into the pictorial activity carried out in that therapeutic context. The collection not only documents the history of irregular art in Italy, but also highlights how artistic expression can serve as a means of treatment and communication for those living on the margins of society.
This experience taught me the inestimable value of an archive as a historical and cultural resource. It also prompted me to reflect on the importance of the exhibition space and its impact on public enjoyment. Understanding how the context and history of a place can interact with the artistic narrative was a key lesson for my curatorial journey.
