Episode 16: The Artist’s Studio

For this sixteenth instalment of CC Stories, we step inside the artists’ world, getting as close as possible to the heart of their practice. Whether it is a place where time seems to stand still, where solitude guides every gesture and allows each material to unfold, or a shared studio alive with footsteps and constant movement, the artist’s studio remains unlike any other space. To learn more about their creative process and the rituals that shape their daily lives, Trent Davis Bailey and Bérangère Fromont invited us behind the scenes. He opened the doors to his studio in Evergreen, Colorado; she welcomed us into the Poush studios in Aubervilliers, just outside Paris. This new episode is dedicated to their spaces of work, experimentation, and research.

“I’ve been at Poush since 2020. It was the Covid pandemic that convinced me to join a collective project. I work in the mornings and in the evenings, sometimes late into the night. Afternoons are when I’m most easily distracted. In reality, my practice is divided between my studio and my apartment. There are nearly 300 artists at Poush, and my favourite moments are when I run into my fellow artists, and we share the ups and downs of being artists.”
Founded in Clichy in 2020 before relocating to Aubervilliers in 2022, Poush is both a creative hub and an exhibition space. Bérangère Fromont is one of the artists working in its shared studios. She tells us that she mainly uses the space to experiment with exhibition layouts and test installations. Because the studio is relatively small and shared with others, maintaining focus can sometimes be a challenge.

Trent Davis Bailey, meanwhile, has been working from his current studio for the past two years. “It is on the same property as my family’s home in Evergreen, Colorado, about 25 miles southwest of Denver. Evergreen is a small mountain community of about 8,500 people that’s woodsy, spacious, and rural, but we also enjoy many of the amenities of city life. Several years ago, I converted a one-car garage into my studio to fit my needs with art storage, bookshelves, multiple desks, and magnetic editing walls.” An American photographer from Colorado, Trent Davis Bailey is not a studio photographer in the traditional sense. Yet even for photographers whose work takes place primarily outdoors, having a dedicated space in which to develop long-term projects is essential, he tells us.

” I feel especially good in my studio when I can set aside distractions and commitments and make new discoveries with my work. I’m not a studio photographer in the traditional sense but there’s a lot to be said, even for photographers who go out into the world to make the majority of their work, to have a space to workshop ongoing projects. At any given moment, I may be making new prints, processing scans and files, sequencing work prints, bookmaking, or researching new work, often with breaks during which I look at photobooks, read, meditate, listen to music, or noodle on my guitar. There’s also the reality that freelancing comes with a lot of administrative drudge work. Taking breaks, getting fresh air, and going on walks is crucial for me on those days.”

Although their practices are very different, both Trent and Bérangère tell us they enjoy long walks outdoors, finding them conducive to reflection.
“I need to walk a lot to organise my thoughts and let them develop. I’m lucky enough to live near the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, and it has become an invaluable place for me since I moved here. At home, I work best when the sunlight pours in and falls across my desk. There’s a large tree outside my window that helps me concentrate,” the photographer explains.

Like Bérangère, Trent prefers to work early in the morning, before the demands and distractions of the day begin to take over: ” My favourite time to be in my studio is about an hour before sunrise—with a cup of tea or coffee—while most people, including everyone in my family, are still sleeping.”

Both artists shared something deeply personal about their studios. Bérangère recalls this anecdote from one of Poush’s open studio weekends, when large crowds come to visit, turning the event into a lively celebration:
“One time, I thought I spotted a friend with her children by the beer tap. I went over to say hello, only to realise I couldn’t remember where I knew her from—or even her name. When I went back to my studio, all the artists were gathered in the corridor, buzzing with excitement because, apparently, Natalie Portman was visiting Poush.”

Trent, whose relationship with his studio is a more solitary one, tells us that an upcoming move means he won’t be able to take the building with him.” I’ll need to accept the loss of this special place I dreamt up and expected to be working out of for at least a decade. If there’s an anecdote from this experience, it’s important to recognize that nothing lasts forever. In fact, this is the eighth studio I’ve worked out of in the past 12 years. From all the moving I’ve found it’s possible to continually revise what came before. I have no doubt I’ll create another refuge for my work wherever I land next.”

Trent Davis Bailey’s Son Pictures and Bérangère Fromont’s République can be found on the Chose Commune website.

*Bérangère has just moved her studio to a new space called Ô Léonie. It is located in a Haussmann-style building in Paris’s 12th arrondissement. It remains a collective space, but one founded by three artists and curators.