Painting by a patient admitted to the Psychiatric Hospital in Sibiu, compared to a work by Bansky

The symbolic painting is one of the most appreciated paintings in the „Hope through Art” exhibition, open at the Brukenthal Palace in Sibiu.

The work was created by Florin, a patient at the „Dr. Gheorghe Preda” Clinical Psychiatric Hospital in Sibiu.

The painting, which even became the image on the official poster for the exhibition, attracted visitors’ attention for its expressiveness, technique, and message of love for Romania.

Alexandra Runcan, curator and specialist at the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu, describes the work as „a professional reinterpretation,” comparing it to Banksy’s famous image of the little girl and the red balloon.

A Romanian Banksy

„We have here a Romanian Banksy, so to speak. We have here a reinterpretation, a truly professional one, not only because we have a very pictorial background, with color, color transitions, and so on, but we also have a three-dimensional element. We have a balloon made of paper and glue. This is not just a painting. I think it’s the most beautiful gift for us as Romanians and for the feeling of pride that we are rediscovering, rarely, but at least on December 1, we rediscover it and remember that we love Romania and we are Romanians, and that certainly makes us unique.”

In the podcast broadcast on the Facebook page and YouTube channel of the Sibiu hospital, Alexandra Runcan describes the patients’ paintings, explaining the complexity of some of the works. Basically, these paintings are painted by people who are not professionals; they discover their passion for drawing and painting with the help of the hospital’s occupational therapists.

130 works created by hospital patients

The exhibition brings together over 130 works created by hospital patients as part of occupational therapy activities coordinated by the medical unit’s specialists. The exhibition has already attracted around 2,000 visitors. Through art, patients express their emotions, regain their confidence, and connect with the Sibiu community in a profound and authentic way.

The „Hope Through Art” exhibition can be visited again from Wednesday, December 3, until December 16, 2025, on the ground floor of the Brukenthal Palace. On December 16, at 5:00 p.m., there will be a charity sale of the paintings, with all proceeds going toward the purchase of materials for the patients’ therapeutic activities.

„Hope Through Art” is a project of the „Dr. Gheorghe Preda” Clinical Psychiatric Hospital in Sibiu, in collaboration with the Sibiu Rotary Club, the Brukenthal National Museum, the County Council, and the Sibiu Psychiatric Hospital Association.