letter, 27x36x3cm (framed)
This letter, received in 2020, refers to an episode that occurred seven years earlier when I had accidentally stumbled upon one of Scientology’s Milan offices. Dianetics, the multi-volume work of Ron L. Hubbard, theorizes the possibility of a radical renewal, a “spiritual path” to the ultimate resolution of ills, of body as well as mind, based on dissociation from one’s traumas. I bought a volume of Hubbard’s work. Perhaps something had seduced me, or perhaps, simply, I thought, I don’t believe in all this, but I might still find something useful in it.
This episode, reoccurring years later in the form of a letter, awakened in me a sense of embarrassment. I had not thought about Scientology for a long time, in fact I stopped thinking about it as early as a week after I bought Dianetics. And yet, the literalness of the question stated in the letter continues to fascinate me - dear Paolo, what were you trying to improve?
Exhibitions:
Cuore (solo), 2023, MarktStudio, Bologna
Ph. Carlo Favero
