Poètiques de la follia Exhibition Opens in Barcelona with Participatory Mental Health Programming

The exhibition Poètiques de la follia, curated by Angelica Tognetti, has opened at the Centre Cívic Sagrada Família in Barcelona as part of the itinerant Temporals program organized by ICUB. Following previous showings at La Casa Elizalde and Centre Cívic Joan Oliver – Pere Quart, this presentation continues to explore aesthetic and critical approaches to representing psychological distress, neurodiversity, and madness. The exhibition features works by artists Natalia Lazaro Prevost (born Barcelona, 1993), Julia Montilla (born Barcelona, 1970), María Ruido (born Ourense, 1967), and Claudia Ventola, and will remain on view through May 19. A series of workshops and public actions organized in collaboration with the collective Entrar Afuera, curator Giancarlo Carena, and Martí de la Malla will begin on April 30. On April 30, from 6-8 PM, a guided tour will be followed by a discussion led by Entrar Afuera focusing on the historical San Giovanni psychiatric hospital in Trieste during the 1970s, a landmark in psychiatric reform. The talk will examine how this movement transformed mental health practices in Italy, leading to the closure of asylums and the creation of alternatives like Teatro Vagante, Radio Fragola, Il Posto delle Fragole, and Ecomacchine. The session will also share the story of Marco Cavallo, a papier-mâché horse built by patients as a symbol of freedom and resistance. On May 7, from 6-8 PM, a practical workshop will invite participants to create animal masks using papier-mâché, inspired by Marco Cavallo, to represent personal desires for freedom and change. These masks will be used in a final public action on May 16, from 11 AM-1 PM, in the exterior spaces of the Centre Cívic Sagrada Família. This concluding event will display masks and objects from the workshops along with informational materials about Marco Cavallo and the importance of rethinking mental health practices. Creative dynamics will engage passersby and neighbors in dialogue about mental health rights and alternative care approaches. Entrar Afuera and Giancarlo Carena will guide the activity and share experiences in mental health and cultural activism.