Il luogo delle origini: percorsi della nascita e della genitorialità

Perhaps one of the most fascinating journeys a person may undertake is the research into his or her own origins. This journey also encompasses the key stages of the journey of the developing baby in the maternal womb, as well as the psychological path of the parents in constructing their new identity as a mother or father. Today we know that the baby, before entering the outside world, learns to recognise the smell of his/her mother, the flavours of her diet, the beating of her heart, the sound of her voice and the noises of the family environment, including the voice of his/her father. Nevertheless we must not forget that the birth of the baby first starts in the mind of the parents, rather than in the maternal body. Fantasies, emotions, desires and hopes, originating from the childhood experiences of the parents, will shape the image of the baby and constitute an indelible early imprint that will mark its future development. In artistic representations of the parents’ faces, the depth of emotions, including these deeper psychological processes, can be seen. The art also, through the faces of mothers and fathers, brings us back to the depths of psychological processes, upheavals and emotions of parenthood. These issues will be explored in this presentation