Anti-Asylum Struggle Day: Art as a form of care

Care in freedom transforms trajectories marked by exclusion into stories of autonomy and affection. Edson Antunes's trajectory symbolizes the advances of psychiatric reform and the importance of care in freedom, which today mark the National Day of the Anti-Asylum Struggle, celebrated on May 18th. First hospitalized as a child, Edson now finds a reality at the Nise da Silveira Municipal Institute in Engenho de Dentro that is completely different from his past, marked by psychological suffering, early alcoholism, and long periods of hospitalization. His story shows how art and acceptance can transform trajectories marked by exclusion into paths of autonomy, belonging, and dignity.

Years ago, Edson arrived at the Nise da Silveira Municipal Institute at a very young age, amidst crises stemming from alcohol abuse and intense emotional suffering. Throughout his life, he experienced difficult times during his hospitalization. Today, revisiting that memory, he affirms that the care he received was crucial in allowing him to survive and find new paths. His first contact with painting occurred when professionals at the Raul Seixas CAPS (Center for Psychosocial Care) encouraged him to express his emotions on paper. From then on, art became not only the artistic language that characterizes his works, but also a coping strategy for his psychological issues.

"Everything that was hurting me, I put onto the canvas. When you see what bothers you, you find a way to fight against it. Art therapy doesn't cure, but it gives direction. It teaches you to survive what arises within you. My true works of art today are at home: my wife and my two children. They teach me every day what love is. But today here at Nise da Silveira I found a family, where I am treated as a human being," says Edson.

At 63 years old, married and father of two, Edson is an artist and has his own studio at Espaço Travessia, a project of the Center for Culture, Science and Health. The space, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2026, promotes exhibitions by artists from marginalized communities and offers workshops open to the general public. There, he works producing artwork, establishing connections, transmitting knowledge, and building networks of affection and coexistence. The artist also participates in the therapeutic workshops of the Museum of Images of the Unconscious, where he creates works on canvas and also builds ceramic art, exploring new horizons. These initiatives are part of a proposal for humanized care in mental health, using art, culture, and community as tools for social inclusion, strengthening bonds, and reintegration into society.

Art not only revealed a talent, but profoundly transformed Edson's life, leading him to become a painter and participate in exhibitions, cultural projects, and educational initiatives. His works have been exhibited at the Paço Imperial in Rio de Janeiro and the School of Fine Arts in Verona, Italy, as well as in shows at Brazilian cultural institutions and public spaces. Edson defines his own happiness through the family he built after years of instability. Married for eight years, he affirms that his wife and children are his greatest achievement, and his relationship with them extends beyond the home. Inspired by his own story, he develops art activities in schools, social projects, and cultural institutions, using drawing as a tool for listening and emotional expression.

Edson's career spans two historical moments in Mental Health: the asylum model and its transition following psychiatric reform. He lived through the era of prolonged psychiatric hospitalizations and later the care provided in freedom, within the community – based on psychosocial care – which replaced the psychiatric hospital. Currently, Edson recognizes the Nise da Silveira Municipal Institute not as a place of isolation, but of belonging. For him, care requires the active participation of the individual in their own treatment.

This artist's story reveals how art as a form of care can transform lives marked by exclusion into paths of creation, work, and affection. From former mental hospital patient to artist and devoted father, his journey is marked by the following phrase: "I get tired, but I don't give up on being happy."

"This was a place of great suffering, where many people were institutionalized as children. The effects of this on the lives of these people are countless. Revisiting this history is fundamental so that we can reflect on other possibilities of care, based on respect, dignity, citizenship, and care in freedom. Care that recognizes the individuality, history, and humanity of each person," says Erika Pontes, director of the Nise da Silveira Institute.

Memorial of Madness

The Nise da Silveira Municipal Institute has established itself as a benchmark in promoting mental health in the city of Rio de Janeiro through art, culture, sports, leisure, and income-generating and job-building workshops. The traditional Loucura Suburbana carnival group is also located there, offering workshops in drumming, samba circles, and other activities as tools for social interaction, cultural expression, and inclusion. Furthermore, the unit now houses an important historical collection open to the public, composed of documents, books, medical records, furniture, and works of art that portray the history of psychiatry in Brazil.

Between memories and new beginnings, the Memorial of Madness showcases the trajectory of mental health from the times marked by asylums to the advancement of psychiatric reform and the deinstitutionalization of patients. Through objects, documents, accounts, and immersive experiences, the collection reveals the practices of psychiatry up to the arrival of the changes that began to be implemented by the psychiatrist Nise da Silveira, who advocated for humane treatment and care in freedom for people with mental disorders.

The Memorial operates in the original facilities of the former asylum, now transformed into a space for art exhibitions and historical preservation. At the end of the visit, the public can understand the importance of psychiatric reform and care based on acceptance, autonomy, and social reintegration of users. The space also houses the QuiDeliche Bistro and a small shop with products made by the users themselves, initiatives that are part of the Cycles of Income and Work Generation Hub and contribute to the social inclusion and insertion of these people into the job market. Visits are open to the public from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9 am to 16 pm, and on Mondays from 13 pm to 16 pm.

Festival We Are in the Fight

To mark the date of the Anti-Asylum Struggle, the Nise da Silveira Municipal Institute will hold the fourth edition of its annual event, "We in the Struggle Festival," between May 20th and 22nd. The program includes workshops, cultural activities, discussion groups, presentations, and a panel discussion, promoting reflections on the history of Mental Health in Brazil and strengthening the defense of humane, dignified, and freedom-based care.

This year, the festival also celebrates the 25th anniversary of Law 10.216/2001, a fundamental milestone in the Brazilian psychiatric reform. The legislation redirects the model of mental health care, replacing the asylum logic with a care network based on rights, acceptance, and citizenship.

May 18th is a symbolic date in the history of Brazilian Mental Health, representing the mobilization in defense of ending the practices of exclusion, violence, and isolation that marked the asylum model in the country. The date reaffirms the right of people suffering from mental illness to care in freedom, to community life, and to human dignity.

Festival schedule

May 19

9:30 pm - 11:30 pm

Master Class with Paulo Amarante

Location: Cetape Auditorium

 

14 am - 17 pm

Guided Tour

Location: Cetape

 

May 20

From 9 to 9

storytelling

Location: Memorial of Madness

 

9h30 at 12h

Mobile planetarium and rocket launch

Location: Sports Center Gymnasium

 

10 am - 12 pm

Biodanza (PICS)

Location: Dona Ivone Lara Forest

 

13 am - 14 pm

"Outpatient Clinic in: Portraits – Telling Our Stories"

Location: Travessia Space

 

From 14 to 14

Theater “The Innumerable: The Greatest Love, or perhaps the story of the Sea Without Waves”

Location: Travessia Space

 

14h20 at 15h

Ballet Osun

Location: Travessia Space

 

15 am - 16 pm

Roundtable discussion with the artists

Location: Travessia Space

 

May 21

9 am - 18 pm

"A Day of Poetry: 10 Years of Journey"

A program featuring shows, workshops, theater, music, folk poetry, book launches, poetry readings, and other activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Espaço Travessia.

Location: Travessia Space

 

May 22

9 am - 12 pm

Panel discussion “Law 10.216/2001: 25 years of a living law”

Location: Cetape Auditorium

 

14 am - 17 pm

Meeting of Samba Circles for Mental Health

Suburban Madness invites: CAPSad Paulo da Portela, CAPS Dircinha and Linda Batista, CAPS Rubens Corrêa and CAPSad Dona Ivone Lara

Location: Memorial of Madness

 

May 25 

9 am - 17 pm

Opening of the 6th RAPS Carioca Football Championship, organized by the Trilhos do Engenho Community Center.

Location: Encantado Olympic Village

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18 May 2026

Appointments: Anti-Asylum Struggle Day Crossing Space Nise da Silveira Institute health