Meet Fangzi Luo of New York

Today we’d like to introduce you to Fangzi Luo.

Hi Fangzi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hi! My name is Fangzi Luo. I am a Chinese visual artist based in New York. I am also the founder of FIE Studio LLC and a recent graduate of the School of Visual Arts, BFA Illustration program.

As far as I can remember, my life has always revolved around art. When I was a child, I would have piles of finished sketchbooks every year, then be praised by my kind elementary school teachers as a little “art star.” Choosing art as my college major feels like a destiny and a dream come true.

Over the past few years, I have been fortunate to receive the SVA Alumni Scholarship and to have shown my work internationally. In places like YIHE Art Museum(China), RIVAA Gallery(New York), A Space Gallery(Brooklyn).

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
NO it has certainly not been a perfectly smooth road.

I, like everybody else, struggled a lot and was trapped in the rabbit hole of anxiety before graduation, doubting my decisions to pursue art as a career. Making art is never an easy decision; there are a lot of realities you have to face, including the need to support myself and to pay the NYC rent.

I cared too much about how people would think of me, ended up being afraid of putting myself and my work out there. However, I figured that actually taking action is better than sitting there all day, overthinking.

When I start to do something and move forward, I feel unstoppable.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I see myself as an abstract visual artist, working with materials such as acrylic, ink, sand, and Chinese lacquer on rice paper and canvas. Inspired by nature, the Eastern aesthetic and emotional landscape.

My art process involved playing with spontaneous, uncontrolled marks. I often begin by pouring, pressing, or transferring pigment, allowing forms to emerge before I decide what they mean. I then respond slowly and deliberately, building lines, textures, and patterns by hand. Rather than illustrating a conclusion I already have, I let the material lead me toward the final.

I am proud that people find my work distinctive. I describe part of my work as “hardened softness”: a kind of strength that remains flexible rather than rigid. The tension between loose, expressive marks and precise, layered linework sets me apart from others.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Since I was brought up by my mom to learn psychology lessons since 11 years old, learning about the term “inner child” when I was actually a child (lol). I developed an interest in exploring the subconscious and the ever-changing boundary between the self and its projection onto the world.

That social-emotional learning(SEL) program also shaped how I dealt with difficult emotions as a teenager, which later fostered my sensitivity to subtle sensations through art.

That, in general, became the basis for the abstraction in my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fangziart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fie_art_?igsh=MTZleWtrb2x3MmE1ZQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr