Florence Cuschieri « Chose Commune

Florence Cuschieri

Florence Cuschieri (b. 1993) lives and works in Arles (France)

– Home and studio — together or apart?

My studio is wherever I happen to be. It can be a café, where I love to retreat to write and read, or the outdoors when I’m photographing. For a long time, it was simply my home—whenever I wasn’t elsewhere. Recently, I’ve been fortunate enough to separate my living space from my studio. Having a dedicated space, more than just a desk, allows me to experiment freely, pin things to the walls, and organize my work with greater ease.

– Do you have any daily rituals?

The first thing I do when I wake up is make myself a cup of tea and turn on the radio. This moment, both simple and essential, helps me ground my day.

– What is the first art book you remember?

I think it was a book on Impressionist and Expressionist painting. I was fascinated by the precision of the gestures, the richness of the details, and the thickness of the layered textures and materials. Otherwise, the first photography book that left a deep impression on me was Photographs by Jeff Wall. His staged compositions opened me up to a new way of thinking about images, somewhere between reality and fiction.

– What is your studio/creative soundtrack?

I let myself be carried away by musical discoveries from the radio or listen to my playlists on Spotify. I love exploring new artists without limiting myself to a specific style or genre. Music accompanies my creative process—sometimes as a subtle background, sometimes in total immersion.

– What is the favorite thing you have in your studio?

My library, where I love to retreat whenever I need a break, inspiration, or simply to let my mind wander. And then there’s the light that enters the studio just before noon, staying with me for a few hours, transforming both the space and my relationship with my work.

– Did you always want to be an artist?

Mmmh, I don’t think so… But for as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated by images and the way they can tell a story. Early on, photography established itself as a language of its own—a way to express what I couldn’t always put into words. Even before it became a vocation, it was already a necessity.

– What does a free day look like?

A day of wandering, roaming, hiking in the Alpilles, or strolling through the Cévennes. Letting my gaze drift, walking without a set destination, being fully immersed in the landscapes and atmospheres… These are the moments when I feel most deeply recharged.