20 Transformed Hospital Environments That Became Healing Sanctuaries With Silvio Irilli’s Artworks
Hospitals are traditionally associated with sterile white walls, a clinical environment meant to facilitate healing. However, one artist has taken a bold step to transform this conventional setting into a vibrant and uplifting space.
Silvio Irilli, an accomplished artist with 33 years of experience, has dedicated the past decade to adorning Italian hospitals with stunning frescoes that bring color, joy, and hope to patients and medical staff alike.
In a recent interview with DeMilked, the artist shared his insights into the motivations and creative processes that drive his unique approach to hospital art. Scroll below to read the interview and check out his brilliant works.
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Image source: ospedalidipinti
How long have you been creating these murals?
“I have been doing this work for 33 years, but I started carrying out the works in the hospitals in 2012. Today over 7000 m2 have been built in Italian hospitals.”
#1
Image source: ospedalidipinti
What influenced or inspired this idea?
“In 2008 I painted the ceiling of the Atlanta aquarium in the USA with the theme of dolphins, turtles and the seabed. Then I returned to Italy and the work was seen by some doctors from the Policlinico Gemelli hospital in Rome who contacted me to paint a corridor of the Radiotherapy bunker. I accepted and after having created the work the feedback on the children and young patients was enormous: the doctors gave a different, more friendly welcome. When the doctors told me about their experiences and showed me the other Radiotherapy bunkers, I thought of proposing an immersive and complete theme for all the large rooms. and I understood that an environment that excites and relaxes is part of the cure. because the patient is above all a person. I therefore thought of founding the Ospedali Dipinti project, which is bringing color and smiles to many hospitals in Italy.”
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Image source: ospedalidipinti
Could you please share some insights into your creative process?
“This is the very interesting part, because a little magic happens. Having agreed on the theme for the department with the doctors, I make an inspection and, like a tailor takes measurements to make a custom-made suit, I take the measurements of the walls and return to the studio where I paint and layout the entire work. Often there are over 100 m2 to be built. Once the layout is complete, the work is printed on products certified for hospitals and in the morning the walls are white but in the evening everything is transformed into a new scenario, with depth, serenity, color and above all emotion!”
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Image source: ospedalidipinti
IT’S NOT JUST A DECORATION
Decorating a hospital ward is not just embellishing an environment with images.
It means bringing a message of welcome, of support to the doctors who must follow the patient and accompany him for therapy. Above all it means giving a little relief to patients who have to face a path where courage and dignity are needed. It becomes even more important when children have to undergo therapy, who necessarily find themselves in a context that is outside their world. It is important to recreate their world in a hospital ward, which allows them to continue dreaming. This is why every work I create must interact with children, telling them a story so that their therapy journey becomes a game. For adults, however, the settings I create concern the valorisation of the territory, which is so rich in history and can take them into another dimension.
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Image source: ospedalidipinti
A COLORFUL TRUST
“When I create a work for a pediatric ward, I think about an important aspect which is how the doctor can gain the child’s trust during treatments and therapies. When this happens, an interaction is created with the surrounding environment and the child listens more confidently to the doctor’s indications for therapy, transmitting a message of tranquility also for the parents. In this image there is a hug, there are new friends, there is welcome, availability, but above all there is a lot of TRUST IN COLORS”
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Image source: ospedalidipinti
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Silvio Irilli’s Ospedali Dipinti project goes beyond the conventional perception of hospital art. It’s a testament to the power of creativity and the positive impact it can have on the healing process. Irilli’s vibrant frescoes not only bring color to hospital walls but also instill a sense of hope, joy, and trust in the hearts of both patients and medical professionals. In the world of Silvio Irilli, hospitals become more than places of treatment; they become spaces of inspiration and transformation.
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