Art in hospital wards helps healing. Ospedali dipinti takes fear out of treatment

Underwater worlds, enchanted forests and journeys through space transform paediatric wards. Through the project created by Silvio Irilli, healthcare environments become places that can reassure young patients and accompany them through treatment

For fourteen years, Ospedali dipinti, the project created by Piedmontese artist Silvio Irilli, has transformed hospital spaces into immersive environments designed to welcome, reassure and accompany young patients throughout their care. Today the project is present in 41 Italian hospitals, with 70 decorated wards and more than 10,000 square metres of surfaces transformed into works of art across almost every region of Italy.

It all began almost by chance, with a request from Rome's Policlinico Gemelli. 'I had never thought that an artistic work could enter a hospital,' Irilli recalls. 'They had asked me to decorate a small corridor in the paediatric oncology ward. But when I arrived and saw the reality faced by children undergoing radiotherapy, I realised that something much bigger was needed.'

The idea was as simple as it was revolutionary: not merely to decorate the space, but to transform the entire environment. The first radiotherapy bunker became an underwater world. The linear accelerator was turned into a submarine and, instead of feeling like patients, the children became explorers on an adventure. 'I wanted the child's dream to continue even inside the hospital,' Irilli explains, 'so that they could feel a little as though they were in their own bedroom, in a familiar place, and face that moment with greater confidence.'

The results surprised healthcare staff as well. 'With this new approach, it was possible to avoid sedation in around 70% of young patients undergoing radiotherapy,' the artist explains. 'Doctors were able to gain the children's trust straight away. They told me the children were convinced that they, too, were part of the world drawn on the walls.'

That experience gave rise to a model which, over the years, has involved foundations, associations and companies, allowing all the projects to be carried out at no cost to the public healthcare system. The decorations are funded through donations and fundraising campaigns. 'It is a collective embrace. The benefit is not only for the children, but also for doctors, nurses and families, who experience the hospital with a different state of mind,' Irilli points out.

Each project is tailor-made. First, every dimension of the ward is measured precisely. Then, in the artist's studio, the large illustrations take shape and are printed on certified, sanitizable materials suitable for hospital environments.

'We work like a tailor: we take the measurements of the space and create a work designed exclusively for that ward. In just a few hours we can transform hundreds of square metres without interrupting hospital activity,' the Piedmontese artist explains.

In recent months, the project has taken another major step forward by integrating educational content and new technologies. The Italian Space Agency has granted its patronage to the space-themed installations, contributing scientific content to accompany them and taking part in openings with the presence of Italian astronauts. At the same time, partnerships have been launched, including one with the Genoa Aquarium, to enrich marine-themed settings with educational information. Augmented reality is also being introduced alongside the large illustrations. In space-themed wards, for example, children will be able to wear VR headsets and experience an immersive journey among planets and galaxies. The growth of Ospedali dipinti has been accompanied by increasing institutional recognition, and in recent years the importance of humanising healthcare environments has gained an increasingly prominent place in Italy's healthcare debate, culminating in the recent protocol promoted by the Ministries of Health and Culture, which recognises the importance of art as an element of wellbeing within healthcare facilities. Thanks to the Ministry for Disabilities, the Ospedali dipinti project has also been presented at the United Nations in New York. And while the project continues to grow, its sights are already set beyond Italy's borders.

'There is still a great deal to do in Italy, but I would like Ospedali dipinti to become a project capable of reaching other countries as well. It would be wonderful to see an idea born here transform hospitals abroad and demonstrate that art can truly become part of care,' Irilli concludes.