Florian Sanna, also known as Abuz One

Coming from graphic design and artistic direction, and deeply influenced by graffiti culture, Florian Sanna (aka AbuzOne) views photography not merely as a capture of reality, but as the culmination of a process of total construction. Both a visual artist, craftsman, and director, he develops a rigorous conceptual body of work centered on social anatomy and the trajectory of the individual in the face of control structures.

AbuzOne's work can be read as a psychological and spatial progression around the human condition. Since 2021, his core project "Mauvaizélève" (Bad Pupil) has been building a visual, artistic, and political mythology in the form of an intimate dystopia. In it, he explores the inevitable friction between the undisciplined individual and institutions (school, state, or social). To embody this narrative of marginality and insubordination, he fully constructs life-size sets from recycled cardboard, shapes accessories, and produces fake archival documents such as propaganda newspapers for the "Parti du Piquet" (Picket Party) or regulatory charters. Photography intervenes as the final act that seals the staging, giving it the status of historical evidence.

This confrontation with the group and the system expands with "Les Zotres" (2025), an investigation into otherness and community perception, before taking a radical turn in 2026 with the series "Entre 4 murs" (Between 4 Walls).

In this last part, the artist performs an architectural and conceptual zoom-out. The iconic character of Mauvaizélève leaves the human scale to be confined within 1:100 scale models representing the Institute. Enclosed in these minimalist cardboard structures, the individual faces total isolation, both domestic and psychological. Photographed using focus stacking, these models acquire a monumental and unsettling physical presence. Between rigorous geometry and a muted unease, AbuzOne's work merges raw craftsmanship and digital precision, excluding any use of artificial intelligence, to capture the resilience of those who inhabit the blind spots of our societies.

GENERATIVE AI MANIFESTO: In the era of algorithm-calculated pixels, the studio imposes a physical resistance. No universe is generated by a prompt: every square millimeter of the work is born from an original photograph, a volume, a cut-out, or a collage. The illusion is not virtual; it is built, palpable.

Exhibitions

2026 TIFA 2024/2025 Winners Exhibition Le Déco Gallery. Tokyo, Japan

2025 Festival Hors Cadre Mauvaizélève — Retrospective series 2 to 5 Théâtre du Minotaure, Béziers

2022 Base Alpha - Mauvaizélève — First exhibition of the series, Montpellier

Awards & Mentions

- TIFA 2025: Bronze for the Mauvaizélève 2022-2025 portfolio - professional category

- FAPA 2025: Nominated for the Fine Art Photography Awards - fine art - professional

- FAPA 2026: Nominated for the Fine Art Photography Awards - fine art category - professional

- ND Magazine Awards 2025: Honorable Mention in the Fine Art category - professional

- APA 2025: Honorable Mention in the Fine Art category - professional

- APA 2024: Honorable Mention in the Fine Art category - professional

- APA 2023: Honorable Mention in the Fine Art category - professional

Écoute

Un podcast à découvrir

Un échange autour de la série "Entre 4 Murs", de mon exposition le 04 Novembre au Bar à Photo, et plus encore


« A work that resonates with the narrative traditions of Franz Kafka and contemporary photographers like Gregory Crewdson, while offering a fresh vision and opening new directions in contemporary photography. »

« Un travail qui résonne avec les traditions narratives de Franz Kafka et la photographie contemporaine de Gregory Crewdson, tout en offrant une vision fraîche et de nouvelles directions dans la photographie contemporaine. »

Form Photography Award x Scope Miami  (Critique du jury, 2026)
"Entre 4 Murs"

Découvrez en avant première

"Entre 4 Murs"

Quitter le monde réel pour pénétrer dans l’univers de Florian Sanna (Abuz One). Une ode à la liberté d’exister comme réponse au conditionnement et à l’enfermement.

Dates de l’exposition

04 > 21 Novembre 2026

Jours et horaires

  • Jours d’ouverture à préciser
  • Du Lundi au Samedi - 13h > 19h

Lieu

Le Bar à Photo
29 ter Rue Lakanal, 34090 Montpellier

En savoir plus

Site officiel  ·  Réseaux sociaux

Vernissage — 04 Novembre 2026, 18h > 22h

Le mercredi 04 novembre dès 18h, le Bar à Photo fait dialoguer arts plastiques et pop mystique pour une expérience sensorielle inédite à Montpellier.
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AU PROGRAMME : 
Vernissage en présence de l’artiste 
Performance Live par Bonne Aventure

Entrée libre

Presse

Focus Magazine - No. 120

Art Print - Blog

Focus Magazine - n°120  

Impression d'art - Blog