UNITED NATIONS OF NEW YORK
PAINTED HOSPITALS PROJECT PRESENTED AT UN IN NEW YORK
Silvio Irilli presented the "Painted Hospitals" project at the UN Conference on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
A dream born as a child, raised among paintbrushes and imagination, crossed the ocean on June 11, 2025 to land in the prestigious setting of the UN Conference on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Italian artist Silvio Irilli, founder of the Painted Hospitals project, moved the international audience with his testimony and account of an initiative that transforms hospital wards into places of hope and emotion.
Invited by Minister for Disabilities Alessandra Locatelli, Irilli passionately described the project that began in 2012, when he discovered that even very young children with serious illnesses such as cancer were forced to face treatment in environments with white or gray walls.
Thus was born the goal of having the children’s dream continue inside the hospital as well, creating naturalistic, immersive settings like the seabed or enchanted forests, to welcome, encourage and protect with a project that is changing the approach : Painted Hospitals.
"Painted Hospitals is an extraordinary project of great humanity that succeeds in bringing light, color and emotion inside places often associated with pain and suffering.
Silvio Irilli's artistic sensibility transforms hospital environments into welcoming spaces filled with imagination and serenity.
Giving smiles and hope to those facing a sometimes long and complex course of treatment means offering concrete support not only to young patients, but also to their families and health care personnel.
Making a hospital a more colorful and reassuring place is a fundamental step toward humanizing care, reminding us how important it is to always put the person with his or her desires and need for relationships, affection, and sociability at the center.
Thanks to Silvio Irilli for his sensitivity and his ability to turn art into a powerful tool for hope."
Hon. ALESSANDRA LOCATELLI
Minister for Disabilities of the Italian Republic
THE PROJECTION OF THE VIDEO MOVED THE 17 COUNTRIES IN ATTENDANCE
One fact struck the audience: for more than 70 percent of children undergoing radiation therapy, it was no longer necessary to put them to sleep with sedation, thanks to the serenity conveyed by the painted environments. “My goal is to create an emotional environment that embraces with color and transmits serenity,” Irilli explained, “to create interaction between the environment and the patient, trust, a smile. Because the patient is first and foremost a person.”
The Painted Hospitals project, followed by international media, knows no boundaries.
Just like that dream Irilli had as a child.
The artist Irilli with Minister Alessandra Locatelli
