‘Powerful, hopeful, beautiful.’

May 16th 2017 marks the tenth anniversary of the death of Michele Angelo Petrone.

ONCA was gifted Michele’s collection of work in December 2015, and we hope to continue to honour the ethos and legacy that Michele left behind. Michele was a professional artist whose work and words moved and inspired all those who came across them. His paintings, workshops and speeches played a vital role in educating health professionals on the importance of complementary therapies and holistic care. Today complementary therapies are widely used as an integral part of patients’ treatment nationwide.

Cultivating good health lies at the core of our work at ONCA.  For us, this means our health as humans, the health of the ecosystems on which we depend, and the health of the planet as a whole.

ONCA first started working with the Michele Angelo Petrone (MAP) Foundation in 2014, when we collaborated with MAP, Macmillan Cancer Support, Wellcome Images and the Brighton Therapy Centre. Together we produced two ground-breaking exhibitions entitled A Cancer Landscape, and hosted a series of art workshops for people living with or affected by cancer.  

Subsequent to this collaboration, the MAP Foundation merged with ONCA and gifted us its collection of works by inspirational artist and MAP founder Michele. ONCA has since then expanded its mandate to take on MAP’s objective of using art to explore long-term illness. We are particularly interested in exploring the links between environmental and human health, and vice versa.

The publication ‘The Emotional Cancer Journey’ documents some of Michele’s most moving paintings alongside his own words. His words are raw, heartfelt and often painful. His words feel totally honest in a world where the ‘C’ word is often so hard to talk about.  He was passionate about the role of the arts as a tool for healing.

‘Rest is an essential part of recuperation of the body and soul, and both require nourishment as well. For me, music art and poetry feed my inner self.’

– Michele Angelo Petrone, The Emotional Cancer Journey.

You can find out more about the MAP Foundation here.

If you are interested in loaning the artwork please contact .