Italian photographer Francesca Pioli has carved out a unique artistic path that bridges the worlds of image-making, painting, and performance art. Working at the intersection of these disciplines, Pioli has developed a distinctive visual language that she describes as a tool for thought, resistance, and emotional survival.
Originally trained in technical studies, Pioli gradually shifted toward an artistic practice rooted in drawing and performance. Photography, which she never approached academically, became her intimate language for mapping sensitive territories that are both personal and social. Her approach unfolds as both a personal and anthropological investigation, constructing visual narratives where portraiture dialogues with staging, objects become witnesses, and light reveals as much as it conceals.
Pioli's photographic work draws from painting's attention to material and composition, while incorporating performance art's concern for the body in action. The result is a slow visual writing style that pays attention to silences and interstices - spaces where memory, transmission, and identity intertwine. Rooted in local contexts while reaching toward the universal, her work examines the relationship between individuals and their environment, exploring how places shape bodies, how traditions persist, and how the private illuminates the collective.
Her recent project "ELENE," presented by Fabio Moscatelli, exemplifies this vision. Set in the heart of the Apennines in Castelluccio di Norcia - a ghost village devastated by the 2016 earthquake - Pioli follows the story of Elene, a young Roman woman who chose to abandon city life to live in communion with nature and animals. First living in a caravan, then as a shepherdess and sheepdog trainer, Elene embodies a radical act of courage or perhaps love by taking root in fragile, trembling earth. Through Pioli's lens, this choice becomes universal: embracing silence, rediscovering resilience, seeking truth where everything seems lost.
In a comprehensive interview, Pioli shared insights into her artistic process and philosophy. She revealed that her passion for photography was awakened by "the need to express myself through images and the opportunity to communicate and tell stories through my perspective." Early in her career, she found inspiration in Mario Giacomelli's evocative landscapes that bordered on surrealism and his poetic narratives of reality. Later influences included Guido Guidi and Luigi Ghirri for their perspective on their native territory and attention to detail, as well as Man Ray for his surrealist vision.
Pioli's approach to project selection is deeply intuitive. "My projects often begin when I follow my photographic instinct, without worrying too much about the direction they will take," she explained. "I photograph what moves me and arouses my curiosity. Photography is a tool for discovering new realities and meeting new people. A project begins when I feel that a story must be told, when I want to give voice to a reality that deserves to be shared."
Regarding the balance between intuition and reflection in creating images, Pioli emphasized that intuition is often the primary element. "I try not to think too much when taking the shot. Reflection comes later, when I review the images and put them in perspective," she noted. For her, a successful photo is one that tells a story and evokes emotion, becoming memorable and timeless when the emotion it evokes can be felt upon viewing.
Pioli's technical philosophy prioritizes emotion over perfection. While acknowledging that good technical mastery can make an image more effective, she believes emotion always trumps technical perfection. She associates silence in photography with shadowed zones and dark areas, finding uniqueness in invisible details and the surprise of simplicity.
When asked to describe her relationship with photography in one word, Pioli chose "familial," emphasizing the intimate nature of her connection to the medium. She prefers natural light over studio lighting and believes color can absolutely tell a story, though her choice between color and black-and-white depends on what she wants to express and her state of mind.
Pioli views photography as both testimony and potential manipulation, depending on the intention behind the image. She cited the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers as one of the most influential images of our century for the Western world, marking all minds and reinforcing feelings of vulnerability. Nick Ut's "Napalm Girl" represents an image that angers her, showing human suffering and war while reminding viewers that the most fragile always pay the price.
If she could choose one photo to represent herself, Pioli selected Man Ray's "Le Violon d'Ingres," saying she likes to imagine herself in that surrealist and dreamlike dimension. When asked what her thoughts would look like if photographed, she described "often a dark background with small colored lights twinkling like stars in movement."
Regarding essential photography books, Pioli recommended "Viaggio in Italia," describing it as a book that scrutinizes the emptiness of landscape - familiar yet difficult to truly see. She praised its authentic perspective, far from glossy images, with careful observation of details that touch emotions and invite slowness and reflection on the places we inhabit.
Pioli currently uses whatever allows her to shoot spontaneously - her hybrid camera or often just her phone. If her camera could speak, she believes it would tell her to "remember to breathe before clicking." She sees photography's role in our perception of the world as fundamental, especially the first images we see as children, which construct our imagination.
Looking toward the future, Pioli identifies the major challenges for photography as resisting and continuing to create narrative content, storytelling, communication, and engaged testimony. She acknowledges social media's fundamental influence on image creation and reception, noting that while we are overwhelmed and bombarded with images that create a fast, often violent visual culture contributing to superficial and fragmented narratives, these images remain in our minds and subconscious.
"It is important to choose what we look at, as much as possible, to preserve our visual integrity and cultivate our identity and imagination," Pioli emphasized. If photography were a weapon, she would prefer it to be "an arrow to spread consciousness." She believes her camera already possesses a superpower: "healing the heart and lightening the thoughts of those who use it."
Pioli considers Rome the most photogenic city due to its history and the diversity of its inhabitants, noting that it surprises at every street corner. When asked about the image that represents the current state of the world, she described "a sphere cut in two - one half bright and colorful, the other dark and bloody. Despite the darkness, new places and new people emerge, living in benevolence and fraternal cooperation."
Currently, Pioli is working on a new photographic project related to her previous work "Elene," continuing her exploration of the mountain world, particularly the Sibylline Mountains and the feminine figure. Through her lens, she continues to attempt expressing a more authentic vision of herself and the stories she wants to tell, creating visual narratives that resist spectacle and call for patient viewing.
