New Florence Art Space, Bagasseria, Opens with “Bau Bau Baby” Exhibit
A new art space, Bagasseria, is set to open in Florence’s Sant’Ambrogio neighborhood on Saturday, March 28th, at 5:00 PM. The studio and exhibition space is the creation of Florentine painter Samuele Alfani and aims to foster a dynamic exchange between artists and the public.
Located on Via dell’Agnolo 25/r, Bagasseria is envisioned as a fluid and transformative project, prioritizing accessibility and inclusivity. Alfani describes his ambition as fostering “an art that is not rhetorical, or a finished product consoling a public programmed to react to already codified stimuli, but rather an unpredictable and never fully defined art, too the result of a real and collective energy that can question it, making it overcome its elitist comfort zone.”
The name “Bagasseria,” derived from the Catalan word for “brothel,” is itself a deliberate provocation, according to Alfani, intended as a challenge to the commodification of art and artists. He seeks to create a space where the creation and experience of art are direct and contemporary, unfiltered by conventional structures.
The inaugural exhibition, “Bau Bau Baby,” will open alongside the space itself. The show is a tribute to Aurora, a beloved dog known as Pippi, who recently passed away. It is curated by Luigi Presicce and Anna Capolupo, and features texts by Francesco Lauretta and Capolupo. The exhibition will be open to the public by appointment until May 17th, the date of the finissage.
According to Lauretta, understanding the project requires “empathy and melancholy.” The exhibition features function by Matteo Capriotti, Francesco Lauretta, Mattia Barbieri, Monica Mazzone, Martina Bruni, Davide Serpetti, Lisa Lurati, Valeria Carrieri, Andreas Zampella, Daniele Presicce, Jimmy Milani, Matteo Nuti, Dimitri Zudov, Davide Mancini Zanchi, Matthew Licht, Fabrizio Aiello, Marco Pace, Luigi Presicce, Leone Maria Presicce, Anna Capolupo, Aaron Fozir, Ahmed Fozir, Francesco De Grandi, Jacopo Pischedda, Matteo Coluccia, Margherita Fanizza, Chris Rocheggiani, Francesco Arena, Thomas Berra, Marco Acquafredda, Gabriele Ermini, Samuele Alfani, and Linda Randazzo.
Alfani, born in Florence in 1985, studied photography, directing, and painting in Spain before returning to Italy to work in film. Since 2020, he has focused on painting, holding three solo exhibitions in Florence: “Isolé,” “Kerigma,” and “Agape.” In 2024, his painting “Preda per rimedio dell’anima,” addressing gender-based violence, was a finalist for the Art Laguna Prize in Venice. He participated in “Kosmos,” the 21st edition of the Paratissima fair in Turin in 2025, and currently collaborates with Galerie10 in Saint Moritz.
Bagasseria intends to open its exhibition space to the participation of other artists, curators, and galleries, aiming to establish a foothold within the local artistic community.