On Summer Museum Night, Saturday, 20 June 2026, at 7 pm, Monfort Gallery in Portorož will host the opening of the photography and video installation exhibition by Italian artist Francesco Bertocco entitled Breaking the Circuit of Control.
In his artistic practice, Bertocco often explores the history of medicine and therapeutic practices, as well as their relationship with broader social circumstances. This exhibition focuses on Franco Basaglia, the influential Italian psychiatrist and reformer whose radical ideas challenged institutional psychiatry. Basaglia’s critique of coercive treatments and the concept of psychiatric “dangerousness” inspired a global anti-institutional movement that redefined mental health care. The project focuses on Basaglia’s journey to Brazil in 1979 and the profound impact of this visit on Brazilian psychiatry. Bertocco and curator Gabi Scardi, in collaboration with Mariagrazia Muscatello, conducted field research in Brazil, which forms the basis of this exhibition.
The project Breaking the Circuit of Control is supported by the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture through the Italian Council programme (13th edition, 2024), which promotes Italian contemporary art worldwide.
