babas

Barbara Capponi, aka Babas (Milan,1966), is a visual artist whose work spans a wide range of disciplines, from drawing to writing, and from sculpture to photography.

Retablos – small dioramas inspired by Mexican tradition, featuring miniature three-dimensional scenes accompanied by a title – play a significant role in her work.

Before devoting herself to art full-time, she was a multi-award-winning art and creative director at McCann-Erickson, where she created the popular character Carletto the Chameleon. She has always been committed to social campaigns, particularly for Amnesty International and Lipu, and artistic projects, including her long-standing collaboration with the Italian cult band Elio e le Storie Tese.

Her works have been shown in various exhibitions; her most recent solo exhibit, “Mille innamoramenti” (One thousand enamourments), was held at the MLB Maria Livia Brunelli Gallery in 2024.

Her book “Come addomesticare un umano” (How to train your human), published by Giunti in 2022, has been translated into 17 languages.

The relationship between humankind and nature, the link between the microcosm and the macrocosm, the psyche, the unknown, and the beauty and ferocity of the world are some of the central themes of her work, which she seeks to explore with a light touch, poetry and humour.