From May 29 through June 7, Palazzo Ducale in Lucca will display works by people with mental disabilities who participate in programs run by the social cooperative La Mano Amica.
It's called art brut in French, outsider art in English, and irregular art in Italy—different names for a singular form of artistic expression that reveals the inner world of people navigating mental health challenges. These artists have found voice through visual art workshops in day centers and residential programs across Lucca and Versilia. Nineteen artists are represented here, with over a hundred works selected by Nadia Buonamici, a psychotherapist and art therapist at the cooperative.
The exhibition, titled "The Unveiled Imagination," features portraits, collages, and abstract figures that offer viewers a new world to discover—one marked by both suffering and purity.
"These are special artists, and they never cease to astonish us," explains Elisabetta Gonnella, director of mental health services at La Mano Amica. "Their art is irregular, born from deep within—pure because untouched by social pressure, yet it communicates with remarkable clarity. We created this project to give voice to people with powerful artistic gifts whose difficulties might otherwise keep them hidden. Art serves a profound rehabilitative function. For us as therapists, it opens a crucial channel of communication. But above all, it affirms them. It gives them a place in the community."
The exhibition will feature free workshops from 4 to 6 p.m. starting Friday, June 1, with a collage workshop led by therapists Nadia Buonamici and Giuliana Batignani. On Monday, June 4, there will be a mediated art workshop, followed by a music listening session on Wednesday, June 6.
The exhibition is open Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. After June 7, the project will travel to communities throughout Lucca Province.
Source: Controradio