Art as Therapy: Expression and Self-Discovery

For Fernando Birri, art was more than creative expression; it was also a therapeutic practice of self-exploration that helped him confront and navigate emotional trauma, particularly the pain of exile, and questions related to sexuality and the multiple dimensions of desire. It served not only as a means of outward communication but also as an ongoing internal dialogue—a way to engage with his own uncertainties, contradictions, and evolving sense of self. Yet, as an independent-minded artist, confident in his identity and his Argentine roots, Birri grappled with a persistent sense of displacement that permeated his emotional life.

His poetry and art reflected an inner world shaped by a lifelong effort to process experiences that were difficult to name or fully understand. Drawing and painting became a daily ritual, a meditative, almost tantric practice through which he revisited recurring images and symbols, functioning as a form of visual journaling, in which each composition was perceived as a meaningful whole, in line with Gestalt principles. ¹ While some pieces were quick sketches created in moments of inspiration and others were more fully developed works, each contributed to a process that allowed him to release emotions and memories that might otherwise have remained buried.

In experimental works like his film ORG, Birri collaborated with cinematographer Settimio Presutto to employ avant-garde studio techniques such as collage, layering fragmented images, sounds and text. These methods conveyed the complexity and intensity of lived experience, encompassing both the emotional impact of exile and wider cultural, sexual, and aesthetic concerns. His creative approach offered a way to express what words alone could not capture, translating internal and external conflicts into an intimate artistic language.

Birri’s search for spiritual and artistic renewal took him to India and Nepal in 1979—an experience he later described as life-changing. He documented this journey in his travel journals Tras las huellas del Buda ² and Mandalas y poemas ³, where reflections on inner transformation unfold through poetic and visual language. While in Nepal, he met with the Dalai Lama, an encounter that expanded the philosophical and transcultural dimensions of his work.

Birri once described himself as a clavel del aire (Tillandsia), a type of wild, tropical air plant that thrives with minimal roots. This metaphor serves as a moving expression of how he coped with the pain of displacement and change. For Birri, creativity offered a space for healing and emotional renewal—a root system that grounded him wherever he was.