Baci Sospesi: A Love Letter to Humanity

By Tricia Scott.

We live in a world overflowing with noise. Opinions on every subject shout louder than truth, and compassion and connection are too often traded for convenience. Yet beneath it all, if we really listen, something quiet yet miraculous remains — a gentle pulse that reminds us that before anything else, we are simply human.

This is the heartbeat that inspired Italian artist Barbara Sbrocca to create Baci Sospesi (Suspended Kisses).

Except, after sitting with Barbara and becoming entirely transfixed by her extraordinary and completely natural ability to make you feel like you’ve been best friends forever, I realise that it isn’t really about the kiss at all, at least not in the romantic sense. It’s about what happens when we embrace the courage to open, to trust, to meet another without armour; that tiny, courageous act of choosing to open ourselves to another human without fear. 

With Barbara, probably more than any other person I’ve ever met, this is entirely evident. She is humanity in its truest form: connected, open, creative, playful, joyful, and it is utterly mesmerising to witness. Every gesture says, "I see you, I am you."

It’s safe to say she had me at hello.

The space between us

During our time together, I have probably asked Barbara 10,000,000 questions (approx), keen to soak in every little piece of her knowledge and deep understanding of this fascinating topic, and it comes down to this - Humanity exists in the spaces between — in the pauses, the breaths, the shared moments that bridge our differences. Before all else, we are human. We feel. We hope. We ache. We love.

Baci Sospesi invites us to linger there, in the in-between. To notice how connection feels when it is undistracted. To remember that love, given freely and without expectation or waiting for reward, always finds a way back, even if it takes the long road.

The movement of water

Barbara often places her installations near water, choosing places where everything flows and nothing clings. Water reminds us that connection is movement: sometimes rushing, sometimes still, always finding a way to flow and meet itself again.

Like the water, we are meant to flow. To meet and part. To leave and return. To love and release.

The courage to open

To take or leave a bacio sospeso — a suspended kiss — is an act of courage. It asks us to lower our armour, to trust the unseen. To give to a stranger without promise of return and to receive without proof of worth. This is the ultimate act of paying it forward, a space that invites the participant to write and share a piece of their own story, or what they feel moved to say and share in the moment.

In a world built on transaction, this feels to me like rebellion in its gentlest yet most profound form and its fascinating.

The sound of belonging

Through her 35 audioportraits and 3 installations, Barbara has collected voices speaking of love, distance, hope, and home. Each voice becomes a thread, weaving us back into the intrinsic wholeness that is our shared humanity. Back to each other. 

Wholeness, not perfection

Baci Sospesi holds close the original meaning of solidarity — from solidus, meaning whole. It isn’t about perfection, but presence. Its shapes are intentionally irregular, its rhythm uneven, its colour always red — like blood, like pulse, like everything that feels and loves.

To be whole is to allow imperfection. To let ourselves be fully human, without apology.

A whisper for our times

We are living through days that ask for courage; to speak, to listen, and to act with radical tenderness when the world feels hard.

Baci Sospesi was never meant to shout. It doesn’t fight noise with more noise. It moves quietly, gently, asking us to believe again in the small things that heal: kindness, empathy, presence. It invites us to join a global chorus declaring that our humanity is non-negotiable.

And while the Baci Sospesi manifesto may seem delicate, its foundations are anything but. Beneath its softness lies a foundation of steel — resilience forged in a world fractured by war, oppression, and genocide dressed up as “politics.”

In my conversations with Barbara, I felt this truth deeply. Now, more than ever, we must remember that caring is not weakness, hope is not naïve, and our humanity is, and always will be, our greatest strength.

And in that space, we really can change the world.

To discover more about Baci Sospesi visit the website at https://sbrocca.com/baci-sospesi/

Tricia Scott is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Female CEO – Create Evolve Overcome, a global magazine, community, and platform championing women in business at every stage. A startup mentor and multi-company director, she has personally mentored more than 100 women and is an unapologetic amplifier of women’s stories, helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs step out of hiding and into their power, building businesses that feel as good as they look.

Through The Female CEO, Tricia curates a worldwide stage for women’s voices, strategies, and successes—because visibility isn’t a luxury, it’s a catalyst. When she’s not deep in conversation with her brilliant team of editors and contributors, you’ll find her with her MacBook in one hand and coffee (or something fizzy) in the other, dreaming up the next big way to make women feel seen, supported, and unstoppable.