10 Questions with Francisco Faustino

Francisco Faustino (Lisboa, 2002). Lived in Charneca de Caparica until 2021.
Currently, he lives in Lisbon and is a student of Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of The University of Lisbon and 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. He was a resident artist at Safra.lx (Lumiar) between March and September of 2022, and in the field of performative arts, and he 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 and Photographer of the Month- December 2022 for ITSLIQUID. He showcased his work at two virtual art shows in January of 2023, 'Winter Group The Exhibition' by the Royal Blue Gallery and 'Artist of the Year' by Brouhahaart.

@kikonaterra

ARTIST STATEMENT

“Daydream” focuses on the use of frame burn and flashing the film rolls to develop photographs that show the duality between the cold, rational energy of the physical world and the warm fantasy of what it means to daydream. Wandering through the small streets of Lisbon filled Faustino’s mind with the need to capture the loving energy of what it means to be Portuguese in a way that transcends the white of the cobblestone streets and brings him to a state of colorful hallucination.

Daydreaming was and is Faustino’s most used method to reconnect to the city that he was born in but not raised in-Lisbon. To rekindle the spark he once felt in the city when he was just a child, now through his adult lens.

All the photographs were taken on a 35mm film camera in 2022.

INTERVIEW

You are very young, but you have already developed very interesting projects. When did you decide to become an artist, and how did you start experimenting with art?

I don't really consider myself an artist. I acknowledge that I am in a really privileged position when I can experiment with art just to have fun, not as a career. I have liked photography from a young age, but at the beginning of the pandemic, I started experimenting with painting and then explored ceramics.

You are currently studying Medicine, and you are studying visual arts independently. What do you wish you knew about Contemporary Art before you got started?

I wish I knew how broad art can be and that you don't always have to take art so seriously. It is valid to have fun, reconnect with your inner child, and just enjoy life!

You work with both photography and ceramics. How do you choose your mediums, and what significance do they have for you?

I like to have an open mind regarding mediums and try to play around with everything. Last year, I discovered ceramics and its organic textures and shapes; it was a really interesting process. Nowadays, I am more interested in film photography and how quick and rewarding the medium is.

In your series "Daydream," you use photography to reconnect with your city, Lisbon. What are you trying to communicate with this series?

Although I have changed my perspective of Lisbon recently, I tried to communicate with this series how Lisbon can be such an exciting city and how it can truly feel like a wonderland of colors and shapes.

How did you come up with this idea? And what did you discover about the city while shooting this series?

This idea was born when I opened my film camera and flashed the film roll! My view of Lisbon is very fluctuating, but the main thing I discovered was the beauty of the hidden places in Lisbon, the small streets in the historical center that lead to such interesting sights.

What other themes do you pursue in your work? And where do you find inspiration?

In ceramics, I like to emulate organic structures (corals, forests, etc.), and in paintings, I paint abstract compositions. I would say my biggest inspiration is the city and the contrast of it with the countryside.

What do you hope that the public takes away from this work? 

I think art is subjective, so I don't have any expectations of what the public might take away from this work. Just people seeing my work is such an honor, whatever their opinion is.

Is there any other medium you would like to experiment with?

I am very excited to try cyanotype printing in the future. I also want to experiment with glazes in ceramics, but it is a very intense process that I have been putting off for a year or so.

Do you have any upcoming shows or collaborations you are looking forward to?

Yes! I will showcase my photographs at Cassiano Atelier in Lisbon. It will be on the 11th and 12th of November and the 9th and 10th of December of this year!

Finally, what are your plans for 2023? Did you set any goals for this year? 

I really hope to have the schedule to do a course in an art center in Lisbon called Ar.Co since I have heard amazing things about their experimental teaching. I also plan on doing another film photography project, focusing on the current housing crisis in Lisbon.