Photographer based in Cantello, Italy
Ludovica Limido, The Feral Cat Friend of the Desert Fox, 2025-2026
Tell us about yourself, what's your background?
I studied at an art high school, specializing in graphic design. Since I was very young, I’ve always been drawn to images and the process behind creating them.
After graduating—but honestly even before that—I felt a strong urge to leave. I went to Australia on a working holiday visa, where I met my partner, and in the years that followed we traveled a lot, taking on different jobs just to support ourselves and keep moving. Photography never disappeared from my life, but it was only later that I began to approach it more seriously and consciously.
The Feral Cat Friend of the Desert Fox, a photographic exploration of home, family, and identity. Ongoing.
“Through the interplay of memory, animals, and inherited histories, the work reflects on the complex relationships between parent and child, and the spaces they inhabit. The project combines both analog and digital photography. It began from an archive of images taken and developed by my mother when she was around my age—many of them depicting animals.”
The Feral Cat Friend of the Desert Fox, a photographic exploration of home, family, and identity. Ongoing
What are you currently working on and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I’m currently working on a project about my family and the hotel they own. It reflects on what it was like growing up in that environment, where I never really had a sense of private life. The work is also deeply connected to the many animals that shared that space with us and filled my days.
I’ve been thinking about this project for a long time, but I was never able to fully approach it. Only last year, through a mentorship program at Fonderia 20.9 in Verona, they helped me find the tools to finally begin developing it.
The Doll Next Door, which I began developing in 2023 after discovering an online community centered around love dolls. The work explores the forms of companionship between humans and their synthetic counterparts.
Innovation does not only happen in the field of technology — it occurs everyday in a creative practice. What do you do for inspiration?
I live in a very small village in the Italian countryside. For most of my childhood and teenage years, I wanted to escape as far as possible because I felt constrained—everything felt too small and too familiar. Now that I’ve returned, I’m rediscovering the place and developing a new appreciation for it.
Inspiration often comes when I take my camera and go out into the woods without any specific intention. Just walking, observing, and spending time in places I feel connected to—or that I’m “studying” for a project—plays a big role in my process.
The Doll Next Door, which I began developing in 2023 after discovering an online community centered around love dolls. The work explores the forms of companionship between humans and their synthetic counterparts.
Where do ideas start for you?
My ideas often begin with writing lists. I’ve always been curious about writing, even if I’ve never developed it, but I love making lists. I take time to sit down and note all the thoughts that cross my mind.
Many ideas come at night or just before I fall asleep—I tend to think a lot, for better or worse, and I haven’t figured out how to turn that off yet.
I don’t currently have a studio, but I’m lucky to live in a large house with a big garden, so most of my work happens there.
The Doll Next Door, which I began developing in 2023 after discovering an online community centered around love dolls. The work explores the forms of companionship between humans and their synthetic counterparts.
How do you make your work, does it start with a sketch?
As I mentioned, it usually starts with thinking, then making a list so I don’t forget, followed by extensive online research. This includes gathering information, reading different perspectives, and looking at images.
I’m not sure I’ve fully arrived at a defined style yet. I think it continues to evolve every year, depending on how I change and what I’m feeling. It’s very much an ongoing process.
The Feral Cat Friend of the Desert Fox 2025-2026
Many artists live by their routines, what does that look like for you?
I wouldn’t say I have a strict routine—I can be quite a messy person—but I try not to wake up too late and to start working in the morning.
Once I begin, I can work for hours without stopping. Music definitely helps, although I don’t stick to the same playlists.
The Feral Cat Friend of the Desert Fox 2025-2026
Who are your biggest influences?
My influences probably come not only from art but also from my values and the communities I feel connected to. My friends, my family, the animals, nature and the people who are different from me that I meet along the way—all of them shape me and my perspective.
The Feral Cat Friend of the Desert Fox 2025-2026
Are there books or films that are an important source of inspiration?
I’m inspired by many different things, and my references are quite fluid. Rather than specific titles, I’m often drawn to works that explore identity, memory, and the relationship between the individual and the collective.
Watching films and looking at other photographers’ work constantly stimulates my thinking and imagination.
The Doll Next Door, which I began developing in 2023 after discovering an online community centered around love dolls. The work explores the forms of companionship between humans and their synthetic counterparts.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
I’ve been fortunate enough to receive a lot of advice from teachers, friends, and family. If I had to choose one, probably it would be to keep knocking on doors and never give up—even if it sounds like a big cliché.
The Feral Cat Friend of the Desert Fox 2025-2026
What is the best advice you would give to other artists?
For someone approaching photography or art in general, I think the most important thing is simply to start. It’s often the hardest step.
Even if what you create at first its “ugly,” that’s okay. The act of doing it is what allows you to improve and move forward—before you do it, and after you do it, you can always make it better.
Left: The Feral Cat Friend of the Desert Fox 2025-2026. Right: Self portrait
Stay up to date with Ludovica Limido
Instagram @lludosphotos