Ars curandi is the most recent chapter of Hospitalia, an original and long-term research project on historic hospitals across Italy and Europe — from the Middle Ages to the present — that Elena Franco began in 2012.

This new photographic investigation explores the historical and architectural heritage of three former hospitals, now transformed into museums: the Hospices de Beaune (France), the Notre-Dame à la Rose hospital in Lessines (Belgium), and Santa Maria della Scala in Siena (Italy).

None of these buildings retains its original function. And yet, through the works on display and the accompanying book (ARTEMA, 2021), each image captures both their past as places of care and their present as museum spaces. Whether depicting exteriors or interior details, Franco’s photographs restore the uniqueness of these monuments of hospitality — foundational places in European civilisation — inviting reflection on their architectural, artistic, medical and social dimensions.

As the artist writes:

“I hope that revisiting these places through images can contribute to the debate on the future of care. I firmly believe that, if healing cannot be taken for granted, there exists a right to care — both physical and spiritual — and an art of care (ars curandi) that should guide us in shaping our society in the face of the ethical questions posed by medicine.”

This ethical tension is a defining element of Franco’s work. Her practice is rooted in a careful, engaged and empathetic observation of reality — not only of the present, but across time — and through photography she returns to us the essence of a shared cultural heritage that helps shape our sense of community.

Elena Franco
Ars Curandi
Curated by Jacopo Cenacchi

17 June > 28 July 2021

The book Ars Curandi is available at the gallery.

GALLERIA STUDIO CENACCHI
Via Santo Stefano 63
40125 Bologna