Printing Constant Bloom
Meeting Lucas Foglia during the printing process of Constant Bloom at LONGO
Lucas Foglia (*1983) is a fine art photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, focusing on stories that explore the relationship between humans and nature. With a clear aesthetic and poetic sensitivity, his work combines art, science, and environmental awareness. He has published five monographs to date, and his fifth, Constant Bloom (2025), was just released from Nazraeli Press.
In Constant Bloom, Foglia documents the migration of the Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui), a species that travels every year from tropical Africa to northern Europe and back again. This is the newly discovered longest butterfly migration. Painted Lady butterflies follow blooming landscapes, and over four years, Foglia followed them. During his journey he went through 17 countries between Kenya and Norway.
In his work, the Painted Lady butterfly serves as a symbol of connection between people and nature, and values that transcend borders. Foglia emphasizes that children around the world might see the same butterfly in their gardens, a powerful representation of the delicateness and resilience of our interconnected world.
His journey started in Italy, a country with deep personal significance for Foglia due to his family roots. Butterflies linger there from April to July and in higher regions until August, making Italy a natural starting point for his journey and an intentional choice for producing his book. Printing Constant Bloom in Italy was a deeply meaningful decision for Foglia.
The book Constant Bloom is the reference of the whole project and serves as the foundation for exhibitions and installations in public spaces.
For Foglia, a book is more than a medium. He explains: “The world is noisy, we are noisy in the world. Books allow quietness. They create a space for intimacy, where stories can be told with focus. They invite deep reflection.”
The publication was realized through close collaboration with partners such as Nazraeli Press. Ayumi Higuchi designed the book. Nelson Chan oversaw production. Foglia’s sister Laurel did the editing. For Lucas, this collaborative effort means a lot. He describes printing at LONGO similarly, which felt like being part of a team rather than an external client, a sentiment that reflects his emphasis on connection and community.
In all his projects Lucas Foglia uses beauty to address global issues. All his projects have a synergy of craft, content, and purpose. In Constant Bloom the beautiful butterflies become a metaphor for human connection, global interdependence, and the shared responsibility for people and nature across international borders.
Meeting Lucas was inspiring. His calm character transmits knowledge and wiseness. Lucas is very reflective in everything he says and has a strong and founded opinion on the topics he talks about. I was fascinated by the fact that during covid, when he was not able to travel, he decided to study butterflies. I think it is admirable to see that someone wants to deep dive into a topic, to the point of following this topic for 4 years. He really wants to get the details. For me he is the opposite of superficial and I am happy he decided to print with us (and to talk to me in the printing breaks).
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