Cecilia is an Italian visual artist and photographer based in Scotland. After graduating with a degree in photography from Edinburgh Napier University, she embarked on a creative journey combining commercial work with personal projects of experimental nature, using both analogue and digital techniques. The photographic genres she focuses on are documentary and fine-art photography, often intertwining. There are two defined emotional and stylistic threads in her practice due to the divergence between her Italian identity and her new identity as an adult in Scotland; linked to idyllic memories of childhood and characterised by moody, mysterious and contemplative feelings. Her photography reflects this duality, distinguishing itself in a nostalgic and personal genre, linked to identity exploration and a craving for belonging.

See Cecilia’s work as part of our annual Spring open call, Keep Your Eye on the Doughnut, Not the Hole, which runs April 3rd to 24th, featuring an incredible collection of works by thirty artists leaning into joy, curiosity, and the often surreal pleasure of focusing on what is rather than what isn’t, in a myriad of mediums.

Eva Luna is a collaboration between Cecilia and Niki Marathia, evoking a dream-like scenario, using cinematic photography. Cecilia says, “We set-up coloured LED lights, filled the bathtub with house plants and I sat amongst them, while Niki beautifully captured the shot on my camera. Our idea was to create an oneiric yet mysterious mood. I’m fascinated with the idea of a very thin border between the physical world and the irrational and spiritual one, which can be bent, stretched or even dissolved through creative practice.”

Hi Cecilia! Can you talk us through your creative process?
My creative process is very intuitive. Most of my work is based on gut feelings and going with the flow of the moment, responding to the space, model, weather, lighting conditions available during the shoot. I’m not a big planner, I make a mood-board with related visual inspiration before the shoot, but I later improvise on the moment according to the space and realistic opinions available.

I like to keep my work fresh and spontaneous because I believe that over-rationalisation and over planning often bring contrived results, and slow down the creative flow. I want to avoid rigidity while embracing flexibility and welcoming changes and shifts of perspectives.

How do you overcome creative blocks?
I have unfortunately experienced many burnouts, but luckily I learned a lot from them. Creative blocks often come as a consequence of burning out and running on very low energy. When I catch myself feeling that way, I firstly remove commitments and plans from my schedule, prioritising a slower pace and more time to sit with my thoughts and indulge in activities such reading, spending time in nature, and looking at good movies. 

Having a slower day immediately impacts our creativity, as creativity also comes from boredom and contemplation in my opinion; filling every second of our day with tasks will kill any creative energy and the possibility to think creatively. Spending time in nature is also essential for me, as nature offers so many beautiful objects, images and sensory experiences which can be transformed into artistic experiences.

Looking at other people’s art also inspires me to get creative.

What emotions or reactions do you hope viewers experience when they see your artwork?
I try to make my work extremely sensory and I would love the viewers to feel that as well. Most of my work is about seeing, listening, touching and feeling. I hope to inspire them to reconnect to nature and to their emotions and to slow down their lives and observe the small things around them. I hope my work comes across as soft, sensual and feminine, and could help people reconnect with their inner femininity and softness too. Overall my work wants to celebrate the small, intimate and fleeting moments.

Which artists inspire you? Are there non-artistic influences such as literature or music that impact your work?
I’m very inspired by David Lynch work when it comes to cinema, his dreamy and curios approach, as well as the softness and depth of Celine Sciamma films. 

One of my favourite photographers is Francesca Woodman, with her haunting and melancholic images. Related to music I’m deeply inspired by ancient folk music, including ballads, traditional and religious music, for its power and evocative force. I also love electronic music and synth. 

My favourite musician is Kate Bush and her work is very aligned with my creative vision. When it comes to literature I’m deeply inspired by Margaret Atwood, her work sets my brain on fire.

What challenges did you experience during the creation of your work and how did you overcome them?
A very big challenge is finance when being a creative, as well as people telling you there is just one way of ‘making it’ as a creative. Every one is different and exploring different options of living/making an income while being creative is essential. I believe each one of us needs to find their way and it’s mainly through trial and error. I realised I really struggle with a strict routine and lack of flexibility, that kills all my joy and drive to create. I need to be able to stay spontaneous. I realised that freelancing was a better option for me even if unstable, and I started exploring different options of jobs ( also non-creative ones) which allowed me to have that flexibility while also providing income. I know now I shouldn’t box myself up into something very rigid even if it seems safer.

Find out more about Cecilia’s work on her Instagram or her website. Keep Your Eye on the Doughnut, Not the Hole runs at Six Foot Gallery until Thursday 24th April 2025.