Still drinking the Kool-Aid?
Still drinking the Kool-Aid?
Lorenzo Bacci is a Milan-based photographer and visual artist whose interdisciplinary practice extends beyond the boundaries of the image to question the nature of representation. He deconstructs the image, revealing it as a site of meaning where socio-economic and political tensions converge.
Bacci’s work is rooted in a collaborative methodology that creates a space for mutual inquiry and self-reflexive critique. Since 2019 he co-founded the artist duo Bacci | Moriniello whose work investigates the complex entanglement between humans and technology, focusing on how automated systems and digital infrastructures shape human perception.
Selected clients and publications include:
AD, Elle Decor, Elle Decoration UK, C41, DOOR La Repubblica, Konel, Moncler, QUIRA, DG, Moroso, Mohd, L’Espresso, Fondazione Gianfranco Dioguardi, Tenoha, INAF (Astrophysics National Institute)
——> Research projects | Bacci | Moriniello
To get in touch
[email protected]
Instagram
Represented by SP Management
[email protected]
Selected Exhibitions
2024, Flussi di incoscienza. Ai confini tra algoritmi e psiche | Smart Life Festival, Modena
2024, Flussi di incoscienza. Ai confini tra algoritmi e psiche | FestivalFilosofia, Modena
2024, AI Yoga per intelligenze artistiche | Meet Digital Culture Center, Milano
2023, Premio Francesco Fabbri for contemporary art, Villa Brandolini, Pieve di Soligo
2023, L’Italia è un desiderio. Fotografie, Paesaggi e visioni | 1848-2022, Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome
2023, Brave New World, Edicola Radetzky, Milan
2023, Les journèes de la photo, Maison Europe, Nantes
2021, REFOCUS. Archivio visivo della pandemia, Triennale di Milano, Milan
2021, Bazar, Walk in studio, Federica di Carlo Studio, Milan
2020, Cronos : A matter of time, Ravenna
2020, Barriers, X-Contemporary, Milan
2018, Developing Cities, Young Talents, SuperStudio, Milan
2017, Premio Francesco Fabbri for contemporary art, Villa Brandolini, Pieve di Soligo
2017, Plat(t)form, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland
2017, Vang, Kulturcentrum Art Gallery, Ronneby, Sweden
Grants and Awards
2023, Premio Francesco Fabbri for contemporary art, Villa Brandolini // Shortlisted
2023, Charta book Award, Charta Festival, Rome // Shortlisted – Thermodynamics of a singularity| Dummy
2023, Artphilein Photobook Contest, Switzerland // longlisted – Brave New World
2020, Refocus, MiBact, Mufoco and Triennale di Milano, Milan// Winner
2017, Premio Francesco Fabbri for contemporary art, Villa Brandolini // Shortlisted
2017, Plat(t)form, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland // Selected
Publications
2026, American Beef, published by King Koala Press
2023, Brave New World or the oxymoron in the virtual reality driven by AI, published on C41 Magazine Issue 14 – New Fiction
2022, The revolution will not be going live, Fotonica Diary
2022, Thermodynamics of a singularity, Self published
2021, Almanac of suspension. Archivio visivo della pandemia, published by Witty Books
Lectures
2026, Guest AI tutor, Paul Sahre’s Graphic Design course, School of Visual Arts, New York City.
2025, Coding in speech | Generative machines | Interacting interfaces, AN-ICON, University of Milan
2025, AI and Arts workshop, Liceo artistico internazionale, Società Umanitaria, Milan
2025, Guest artist invited by Paul Sahre, School of Visual Arts, New York City
Talks
2026, American Beef, book launch, MIA photo fair
2025, American Beef, Staunton Augusta Art Center, VA, USA
2023, Bacci Moriniello + Fotonica Diary, Introduction to The revolution will not be going live, Maison Europe Nantes
2021, Tavola Rotonda, Immaginari visivi della Pandemia, Università di Pavia
2020, Refocus, Mufoco and Triennale di Milano
2018, #02 Abitare reale abitare virtuale, BASE and Triennale di Milano
Interviews/features
Lürzer’s Archive: Gen AI creative pioneers (Fine Arts)
Der Greif Alumni : Q&A with Bacci Moriniello
Lampoon magazine – What are we looking at?
Tech4Future – The art of imagining a different society by creating with generative AI, including biases
Artist interview : AI YOGA per intelligenze artificiali by Lenovo
Prompt Magazine 12 – Liminality
AUGMENTED IMAGES
C41 Magazine Issue 14 — New Fiction
Coeval Magazine
Phroom Platform
Elledecor
Artslife
DER GREIF Guest Room : Holly Hay
Residencies
2022, Artist in residence program, FOTONICA, Rome
2016, Artist in residence program, workshop with Stefano Graziani, Bjorn Nilsson and Sabina Jallow, Vang, Sweden
Still drinking the Kool-Aid?
Still drinking the Kool-Aid?
Still drinking the Kool-Aid?
(2017)
This project examines the recurrence of ideological and social patterns across different historical contexts. The expression Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid, now widely used in political and cultural discourse, serves as a conceptual entry point, referring to the uncritical acceptance of beliefs or narratives. Its persistence highlights how mechanisms of persuasion and collective adherence remain consistent over time.
The research focuses on the Peoples Temple, often reductively defined as a “cult.” Such a label oversimplifies a complex socio-political phenomenon that cannot be understood solely through the figure of Jim Jones. Founded in the 1950s in the United States, the organization promoted ideals of racial integration and social justice, attracting a diverse community of followers. In 1978, in Jonestown, Guyana, over 900 members died in a mass murder-suicide orchestrated under Jones’ leadership, marking one of the most significant tragedies of the 20th century.
Archival images initially suggest a cohesive and functional community: smiling individuals, collective activities, and a multicultural environment. These vernacular photographs present an ordinary and harmonious reality, contrasting sharply with the commonly known outcome. This visual layer alone proves insufficient for a comprehensive understanding.
Information, in this context, emerges as a complex and stratified construct rather than a neutral or transparent element. Historical and media studies have shown how narratives are shaped through processes of selection, framing, and repetition, often reinforcing simplified interpretations of events. When approached critically, beyond their immediate appearance, documents and images reveal internal contradictions and overlooked dimensions. What may initially appear as a clearly defined and easily labeled fact can instead conceal a multifaceted reality, in which different perspectives coexist and challenge dominant narratives. This shift from surface reading to deeper analysis allows alternative interpretations to emerge, exposing the instability of seemingly fixed meanings.
Further analysis of letters and tape transcriptions produced by community members reveals a significant discrepancy between textual content and photographic representation. This tension becomes central to the project. Drawing on the methodology of Aby Warburg’s Mnemosyne Atlas, a visual panel is constructed through the juxtaposition of images and texts. This approach exposes parallel narratives and reveals a stratified reality in which appearance and underlying conditions diverge.
The project ultimately aims to produce a visual framework that demonstrates how similar patterns persist across time. While contemporary contexts differ technologically, the presence of charismatic figures capable of shaping collective thought remains constant. What evolves are the mechanisms of influence, now embedded in digital systems such as algorithmic visibility and targeted communication.
By establishing connections between past and present, the work critically reflects on the relationship between images, narratives, and power, emphasizing how perception can be subtly constructed and directed.