Nothing Is Too Fragile to Speak: How Rose Luo Turns Ephemeral Materials into Emotional Monologues

Interview with Rose Luo

1.      Please tell us something about your background and your art journey so far.

I am a multidisciplinary artist from China, currently based in Shanghai. My background is quite interdisciplinary: I first studied architecture at West Anhui University and later completed a Master’s degree in Media and Journalism at the University of Newcastle in the UK. Although it may seem like I started my artistic journey through studying architecture, I actually began drawing when I was a child. This diverse training has shaped my approach to art, encouraging me to cross traditional boundaries and to develop a practice that blends different disciplines and mediums.

My artistic journey has been closely tied to my exploration of self-identity, existentialism, emotions, dreams, and feminism. I primarily work across embroidery, photography, and painting. Embroidery, in particular, allows me to transform materials like silk ribbon and thread into metaphors for resilience, memory, and transformation — carriers of both emotion and history. Photography serves as both foundation and inspiration, enabling me to capture subtle emotional moments and social realities, especially concerning women and vulnerable groups, which then inform my embroidery and painting. My paintings often convey poetic reflections on femininity, flowers, and the body, highlighting the strength and lived experiences of women.

At the core of my practice is the pursuit of an eternal paradox — fragility and resilience, death and rebirth, separation and union. Through these explorations, I hope not only to reconnect with my own emotions and memories, but also to create a space where others may encounter their truest selves, finding both resonance and healing through art.

2.      Describe what a normal day looks like as an artist.

A normal day as an artist for me flows between making and seeking inspiration. I usually paint every couple of days, but when I need fresh ideas, I spend time outdoors observing nature. Looking closely at plants and flowers not only sparks new ideas, but also allows me to capture satisfying moments through photography. These photographs often serve as references once I return to the studio.

In my practice, I sometimes experiment by drawing freely with my left hand, letting unexpected lines suggest new possibilities. I also study the forms of flowers with pencil as a way to train my sense of line and structure. Later, I use watercolor to reimagine these flowers—combining different blossoms I have observed into new compositions, which often become the foundation for textile-based pieces.

Beyond studio work, I regularly visit exhibitions to see what other artists are exploring, and I occasionally travel to other cities or countries. Traveling not only broadens my cultural perspective but also enriches my photography and painting, guiding me toward new directions in my artistic journey.

3.      Can you tell us more about the theme in your art and your inspiration?

The central theme of my practice revolves around self-identity, existential questions, emotions, dreams, feminism, and psychological states. I often use embroidery, photography, painting, and drawing as mediums to explore how these inner experiences can be expressed visually. My works reflect a deep concern for how human emotions—often fragile yet universal—can be translated into tangible forms.

Much of my inspiration comes from observing nature, particularly plants and flowers, whose vitality and fragility mirror the complexity of human feelings. I am also influenced by Western philosophical novels and ancient Chinese poetry, both of which shape the way I think about existence and emotional depth. By combining these sources of inspiration, I create works that aim to bridge personal experience with broader cultural and emotional landscapes.

4.      How does your art life impact other parts of your life?

Art has profoundly transformed my life. It has taught me to observe the smallest details in everyday moments, to sense the emotions of others, and to notice corners and voices that are often overlooked by the majority. I see this heightened sensitivity as a kind of power — one that not only helps me face and overcome challenges in my own life, but also has the potential to bring comfort and healing to others. Art has also given me an open mind and the courage to express my own perspectives with clarity and confidence. At the same time, it has made me more open to communicating with people, as I truly enjoy exchanging ideas and emotions with others through dialogue as well as through my work.

5.  Could you share any difficulties and hardships you had to face in life and how or if you managed/overcame them?

As an artist, one of the main difficulties I often encounter is the tension between artistic freedom and practical realities. Financial stability, for example, is a common concern for many artists, and in my case, I rely on income from another field to support my creative practice. This arrangement actually gives me the independence to explore themes that truly matter to me, without being constrained by commercial expectations.

Another challenge lies in the constant self-questioning that comes with creating — wondering whether my work can genuinely touch others or express the paradoxes I seek to explore. I overcome this by observing the details of everyday life, immersing myself in nature, and connecting with people. These moments remind me why I create: because art sharpens my sensitivity, opens my mind, and allows me to express my attitude with courage.

I believe every difficulty is also a hidden resource — it forces me to look deeper, to find strength in unexpected places, and to make my art a bridge between myself and the world.

6.      Tell us about your best experience in the art world so far.

My best experience in the art world was sketching in an ancient village in China. While exploring the village, I observed how the architecture, plants, traditional clothing, and local handmade artworks blended so naturally with each other and the surrounding landscape — as if they had grown organically from nature itself. I believe that when these houses, garments, and objects were originally created, people were not intentionally trying to harmonize with their environment. Yet, the result was astonishing: seeing locals in traditional attire holding handcrafted items against the backdrop of mountains and historic buildings felt effortlessly beautiful and perfectly balanced. Interestingly, when people wear modern clothing in the same setting, it feels out of place — the harmony seems lost, which made me realize how deeply our perception of beauty is connected to context. Standing there, I felt a profound sense of awe and inspiration, as if I had glimpsed the invisible threads connecting human creativity, nature, and culture. This experience sparked ideas about subconscious resonance and harmony that continue to influence my own artistic practice.

7.      Is the artist life lonely? Please share your thoughts and experiences.

There is a little bit of loneliness, because my family is not very supportive of me being an artist. But fortunately, I have some artist friends who support me in this journey, so it doesn’t feel that lonely. I feel that I am not fighting alone. And actually, sometimes that bit of solitude gives me space to think and create more freely. It helps me observe details, stay sensitive to emotions, and be brave enough to express my own attitude.

8.      What are you working on at the moment and are there any upcoming events you would like to talk about?

At the moment, I am continuing to explore the relationship between painting, textiles, fashion, and photography, which are the main directions of my practice. Going forward, I hope to deepen this practice by integrating scientific observation with artistic expression, and to break down traditional boundaries between disciplines in order to develop a more fluid, cross-disciplinary visual language. I believe that by doing so, I can better reflect the way humans interact with nature and culture in a holistic way.

As for upcoming events, some of my photography works will be exhibited at the London Design Festival later this year, which I am very excited about. It will be a valuable opportunity for me to share my vision with a broader audience and to engage with different perspectives on art and design.

Website: https://xluo101992.wixsite.com/just-for-my-portfoli

Instagram: @rosie.x.luo

Review of Rose Luo’s Artistic Practice

by Lena Snow

Rose Luo’s art unfolds at the intersection of delicacy and strength, exploring how vulnerability can become a source of resilience. Working across embroidery, painting, and photography, she crafts a visual language that transforms personal reflection into poetic form. Her practice resists boundaries between mediums, instead weaving them together into a dialogue of textures, colors, and metaphors.

Botanical imagery is central to Luo’s work. Flowers, petals, roots, and organic forms appear not as decoration but as symbols of endurance, transformation, and fragility. In her embroideries, silk ribbons and threads — materials soft yet strong — become carriers of memory and emotion. Through these works, Luo reveals how something seemingly delicate can hold weight and permanence, much like the experiences she evokes: identity, womanhood, and the paradoxes of human life.

Her recent paintings push these explorations further. In Mother, Luo depicts a pregnant figure whose head blossoms into a flower bud, a poignant image of youth and vulnerability entwined with the burden of new life. The body, veined and marked, embraces the unborn child visible within the womb. Surrounding ribbons and roots twist and drift, suggesting both growth and exhaustion, while the palette of pinks and ochres infuses the work with a sense of sacrifice and renewal. The piece resists sentimentality, instead offering a layered meditation on the cost and beauty of motherhood.

In Pregnancy, the body itself transforms into a rose, its petals unfurling into a flowing dress. The absence of facial detail makes the figure universal, inviting reflection on motherhood as a shared yet deeply intimate experience. The rose — at once fragile and powerful — encapsulates Luo’s ongoing exploration of paradox: the body as both vessel and bloom, burden and beauty.

Across her practice, Luo refuses superficiality. Whether through thread, watercolor, or lens, her works insist on attentiveness to what is often overlooked: the subtle details of human emotion, the hidden strength within fragility, the quiet spaces where memory and identity take shape. In doing so, she creates art that does not simply portray but resonates — art that opens a space for empathy, reflection, and healing.