Angel
New Member
Although suffering is profoundly human and dwells within each of us, it should stay balanced, believes the Italian artist Simona Bocchi.
Bocchi concluded her training in sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara with her thesis in art therapy. Her interest in Rudolf Steiner’s studies as well as her experience with Achille De Gregorio – art therapist and founder of Artea (A Milan based post-graduate Italian school which specialises in art therapy) – made art a tool of prevention and care for Bocchi. This experience further accompanied her during the ten-year stay in India.
In 2010, Simona held conferences and led an art-therapy seminar for a period of one week at Hyderabad during the event ‘Science and spiritual heritage of India’.
India gave her the platform to practice art therapy with local kids and teenagers in private workshops. During this time, she studied, analysed and also compared the work done in Italy with the one in India, thus completing an artistic, cultural and anthropological research, which later formed the base of her work.
Simona’s art therapy work takes inspiration from the methods of observation by Maria Montessori – who dedicated her life to children.
It was due to her keen interest in art that Simona developed a method of care and inner re-balancing, thereby carrying out art therapy workshops with elaborate methodologies, all across the world.
The artist’s practical and easily accessible method – based on her solid professional knowledge of sculpture and painting, and is enriched by the above mentioned experiences – turned out to be a fundamental aspect in her life.
Today, she uses it as an effective and easily usable tool to break down the barriers of existential distress, invisible inner discomfort, and to resolve the consolidated and negative emotional states that cause situations of suffering.
Her experience with Tibetan monks and their authentic ancient meditation tradition during the creation of a mandala has become an original way to complete her art therapy method.
These days Simona promotes Indian and Italian cultural exchange by hosting Buddhist monks at spiritual centers all around Italy.
With her strong background in art, she naturally pulls children of all ages to art therapy. Also, in her free time, Shimona bakes bread and cook fine Italian food for family and friends.
Thank you
http://www.millenniumpost.in/features/healing-through-art-376065