Interview: Francisco Faustino
Luca Curci talks with Francisco Faustino, the winner of PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH – DECEMBER 2022.

Francisco Faustino was born in Lisboa in 2002. He lived in Charneca de Caparica until 2021. Currently, the artist lives in Lisbon and he is a student of Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon. He also studies Visual Arts independently (ceramics, film photography and abstract painting), having attended classes at Ar.Co Almada, Bordalo Pinheiro Museum, ARTlier and Fábrica Moderna. Faustino was a resident artist at Safra.lx (Lumiar) between March and September of 2022 and in the field of performative arts, he has participated in artistic hikes with the Brazilian artist Leonardo Shamah. He has been investigating the merge between film photography with ceramic installations that have deformed structures, which takes us to organic shapes in nature, for example, corals, tree trunks and moss. He has also been working on abstract compositions by flashing film rolls. Faustino was selected for Artist of the Month in December of 2022 for Artjobs.com.

Luca Curci – What is art for you? 
Francisco Faustino – Art is using the contrast between being present in life and detached to feel and capture emotion, colors and energy. The gratitude that I have obtained over the past few years has led me to think that everything in this existence can be art- the warmth of a hug, the smile of a friend, the shades of nature. 

LC – What’s your background? What is the experience that has influenced your work the most?  
FF – The experience that influenced my work the most was moving to Lisbon in 2021. This city is a melting pot of reflection and expression and its gorgeous architecture has given me a lot of inspiration. I grew up across the river, in Almada, and the dichotomy between that area and Lisbon, and its values, has been a really intense thing to deconstruct.

LC – How did you get into photography? Do you remember why you took your first professional photo? 
FF – I have always liked digital photography and used to take a lot of photographs of nature in Almada, but have gotten recently into film photography and fell in love with its organic energy.  I enjoy taking photographs without expectations, my “why” is always to see life in a different light, to feel its ephemerality.

LC – According to you, what makes a good photo? Which details do you focus on? 
FF – A good photo for me is an abstract composition, a wonderland of light and blurriness. I tend to focus on a mixture of textures and color and transforming everyday life into a daydream.