In December 2019, Italian artist Qêdîm Bacci was active in the contemporary art scene, exhibiting works rooted in a practice combining traditional printmaking with esoteric philosophy. Born in Volterra, Tuscany, in 1992, Bacci demonstrated creative ability from childhood, pursuing drawing throughout secondary education before studying Decoration at the Florence Academy.
Rather than continuing formal art study, Bacci enrolled at the University for Foreigners of Siena to study Languages and Arab Culture, completing the first level of Arabic. In September 2012, artistic interest resurfaced when she moved to Venice to study traditional art graphics under professor Andrea Serafini for three years, then experimental graphics with Jacopo Abis. This shift allowed her to develop multiple techniques and transform prints into functional objects: books, covers, postcards, and card decks. Bacci valued the reproducibility of artworks, believing art exists fundamentally as communication with a broad audience rather than as objects for elite display.
Thesis and Practice
In October 2017, Bacci completed five years of study with a thesis titled “IL SOLE NERO / La cerca dei tesori negli Inferi” (The Black Sun / The Search for Treasures in the Underworld). Themes of initiatory pathways, transitions between life and death, funerary rituals, and the afterlife consistently shaped her research and creations. These works function as what she described as “mental post-its,” helping her process readings in esotericism by philosophers including René Guénon, Ezra Pound, and Gian Giuseppe Filippi. Following graduation, she worked as an external collaborator for the screen-printing course at the Venice Academy of Fine Arts and collaborated with the independent print laboratory Lab for Print 43.
Artistic Approach
Bacci’s works operate as pages in a metaphorical diary, where she catalyzes daily experiences and reflections through image. Her art serves as a media tool to concretize the relationship between biography and culture—understood not merely as artistic refinement but as a means to investigate unusual and unconventional knowledge, particularly in the dreamlike, esoteric, and alchemical realms. She employs allegory to intensify symbolic content, creating visions designed to engage viewers and prompt reflection on the mysteries of human existence. Her choice of execution techniques—demonstrating eclecticism and versatility—remains functional, heightening representational intensity to stimulate both her own creative process and the subconscious response of her audience.
Frequently asked questions
What academic paths did Bacci pursue before establishing her artistic practice?
Bacci studied Decoration at the Florence Academy, then Languages and Arab Culture at the University for Foreigners of Siena, completing the first level of Arabic before returning to art study in Venice in 2012.
Which philosophical traditions inform Bacci’s work?
Her research draws heavily from esotericism and philosophy, particularly the work of René Guénon, focusing on initiatory themes, death rituals, cosmic balance, and the exploration of knowledge outside conventional analytical frameworks.
How does Bacci understand the social function of art?
She believes art exists to communicate with a broad public audience rather than serve as decoration for elite collections, valuing the reproducibility of works and their transformation into functional objects like books and cards.
