Palermo exhibition marks 40 years of Italy's Basaglia Law on mental health

In Palermo, Palazzo Ajutamicristo hosts 'La condizione umana. Oltre l'istituzione totale', an exhibition curated by Helga Marsala commemorating the 40th anniversary of Italy's Law 180 (Basaglia Law) of May 13, 1978, which mandated the closure of psychiatric hospitals. The show assembles archival materials, photographs, artworks, and documentaries that document the dehumanizing conditions inside asylums and the movement led by psychiatrist Franco Basaglia. Featured photographers include Carla Cerati, Gianni Berengo Gardin, Luciano D'Alessandro, Uliano Lucas, Letizia Battaglia, and Franco Zecchin. Works on paper by Bruno Caruso, polaroid self-portraits by patients of Milan's Paolo Pini hospital, a ready-made by Christian Fogarolli using a scale model of the former Palermo psychiatric citadel, and a political piece by collective Fare Ala focusing on poet Mario Scalesi are also on view. Historical documentaries include Sergio Zavoli's 'I giardini di Abele' (1968) and 'Matti da slegare' (1975) by Bellocchio, Agosti, Petraglia, and Rulli. The exhibition runs at the 15th-century palace, which retains its unfinished renovation, adding to the immersive experience.