Traversing fashion, beauty, portraiture and landscape, Lucie Rox creates photographic works that both begin with and subvert the basic principles of colour, light, shadow and movement. Inspired by surrealism, through experimenting with darkroom techniques, collage and painting, she crafts colourfully potent, often abstract images for an impressive roster of editorial and commercial clients. Raised in Brittany and now based between Paris and London, Lucie’s personal projects increasingly explore her African heritage, identities of the diaspora and black womanhood. In 2021 she self-published WATER••COLOUR, a zine inspired by black, mythological, human-fish creatures. Her work was exhibited at the New Black Vanguard exhibition at Aperture New York and at the Sixteen Journal Retrospective at Oddity Paris.
01 I STARTED TAKING PHOTOS BECAUSE
I can’t remember which came first: I was given a camera for Christmas as a young teenager and about the same time I received a copy of Magnum Magnum and discovered documentary photography. I became obsessed with documenting every moment of life with my friends and slowly started using the medium to express myself in photoshoots. My stepdad also used to carry a camera around on holidays, so I guess that was the first inspiration, but it feels more like something I fell into and never really stopped doing.
02 A PHOTOGRAPH THAT ALWAYS BRINGS ME JOY
There are too many to name! I have a poster of "Les faux agents du FBI" by Malick Sidibé* in my living room and I always find pleasure in looking at it, so maybe that one?
*Pictured here.
03 I PREPARE THE CONCEPTS FOR MY SHOOTS BY
I rarely start with photography references. Usually, I begin the process by roaming my books for quotes, poems, stories, paintings and art. I also look at cinema a lot. Only then do I start doing more photographic research, looking into lighting, poses, etc. I put everything in folders between my laptop and Pinterest because I like how you can organise your references (but it’s still all very much a mess!) before creating a mood board that makes sense to me and everyone else on the team without being too literal so the shoot doesn’t end up simply being a copy of something else.
Pictured here & below: Lucie's work.
04 THE PROCESS I FIND THE MOST REWARDING IS
Printing. I love spending hours in the darkroom and seeing what I had in mind take form in a physical way. At times it’s challenging and time-consuming but there really is something magical about it.
05 MY FAVOURITE BOOKSTORE IS
I love photobookstore.co.uk, they always have a great selection and often leave cute notes with your order which is a nice touch.
06 AN UPCOMING PROJECT I'M EXCITED ABOUT
I’m working on a film project in collaboration with my partner, who is a musician. It’s still very much the beginning of the process but we finally started to move from a vague idea to working on it seriously. It’s a very personal project, I can’t wait to let it take form.
07 A CREATIVE WHOSE WORK I NEVER TIRE OF IS
Francis Bacon. Since seeing an exhibition in Paris where I was completely taken in by his work, I have been obsessed ever since and keep coming back to it. Visually, but also in what his work conveys – a physicality, this not-quite-surrealistic approach which creates a very real mirror of human sensations – I think it’s very close to what I aspire to with my work, even if it looks very different.
08 AN EXHIBITION I CANNOT WAIT TO VISIT IS
I’m really looking forward to checking out ‘On Love’, the latest exhibition at HOME, curated by Joy Yamusangie* and Ronan Mckenzie. I love the space so much and the lineup looks great!
*Pictured here: Joy Yamusangie's work.
LUCIES'S FAVOURITE THINGS
01 The writing of Audre Lorde. "There’s little more comforting to me than her words, I always find something I need there."
02 The "Non-conformist hoops" in gold vermeil.
03 The work of artist Kerry James Marshall.
04 The work of painter Chris Ofili.
05 Lewis Hamilton: the person she would love to collaborate with.