ARCHIVIO LUIGI PERICLE POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP
As part of the Utopia, Art, and Spirituality Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini and the nonprofit association Archivio Luigi Pericle, I have been lately conducting research in Ascona, Switzerland, focused on the life and work of Luigi Pericle—a painter, illustrator, writer, intellectual, and mystic, examining his engagement with alternative and complementary therapies within the context of his artistic and spiritual journey. Pericle's relocation to Ascona in 1959 at the foot of Monte Monescia, best known as Monte Verità, placed him in an area that had attracted philosophers, theosophists, artists, and anarchists who resisted bourgeois conformism. In monastic seclusion, Pericle embarked on a path of holistic healing as part of his quest for spiritual evolution. The study focuses on his mastery of disciplines such as medical astrology, acupuncture, and homeopathy, analysing how these practices influenced his creative processes and overall well-being.
With my background in fashion, and the many years of developing sketchbooks during my university studies at Central Saint Martins, as well as for designers like John Galliano, and guiding numerous students in creating their own, it has been a pleasure to explore Pericle's sketchbooks, filled with handwritten notes and reflections illustrating his integration of Western homeopathic medicine with Traditional Chinese Medicine concepts.
Pericle’s pursuit of mystical practices—such as prophecy, telepathy, astral projection, and remote viewing— highlight the role of these practices in shaping the future of wellbeing and call for further research to explore their potential benefits.
I am very grateful to Greta and Andrea Biasca-Caroni from the nonprofit association Archivio Luigi Pericle for granting me access to the Luigi Pericle and Swiss Theosophic libraries. Also, to Fabio Merlini and Monica Pongelli from the Eranos Foundation for the permission granted to consult the Eranos library. And to Francesco Piraino, Elena Bernardinello, and Eva Salviato for this fellowship at the Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilisations and Spiritualities library at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini.