Franco Bellucci's Sculptural Knots at a. SQUIRE London Explore Psychiatric History Through Found Objects
The exhibition titled "Works (c. 2010–2018)" by Franco Bellucci is currently on display at a. SQUIRE in London. It showcases sculptures crafted from common items such as Puma socks and bandages, forming amorphous clusters without a distinct orientation. Bellucci's artistic journey is deeply influenced by his past; after suffering from encephalitis at 7, he lost the ability to speak and was committed to a psychiatric hospital at 17. A turning point occurred in 1999 at the Centro Residenziale Franco Basaglia in Livorno, where Riccardo Bargellini helped him communicate non-verbally through materials. This experience ties into Italy's psychiatric reform, Law 180, enacted in 1978, which abolished the psychiatric system. The exhibition is open until May 9, 2026.
Key facts
- Franco Bellucci's exhibition "Works (c. 2010–2018)" is on view at a. SQUIRE in London
- The exhibition features sculptures made from mass-produced materials like socks, bandages, and cables
- Bellucci contracted encephalitis at age 7, losing his ability to speak
- He was committed to a psychiatric hospital in Volterra, Tuscany at age 17
- In 1999, he moved to the Centro Residenziale Franco Basaglia in Livorno
- Italy's Law 180 (the "Basaglia Law") was passed in 1978 under Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti
- Franco Basaglia began reforms in 1961 as director of Gorizia asylum
- The exhibition runs until May 9, 2026
Entities
Artists
- Franco Bellucci
- Piero Gilardi
- Germano Celant
- Franco Basaglia
- Michel Foucault
- Riccardo Bargellini
- Fernand Deligny
- Giulio Andreotti
Institutions
- a. SQUIRE
- Centro Residenziale Franco Basaglia
- Atelier Blu Cammello
- L'Associazione per la Lotta contro le Malattie Mentali
- Unione Culturale
- Democratic Psychiatry association
- Verso
- University of Minnesota Press
- Umberto Allemandi & C.
- Mousse Magazine
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Volterra
- Italy
- Tuscany
- Livorno
- Gorizia
- Turin