We recently connected with Xinyue Tao and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Xinyue, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on is a temporary sculptural piece titled Connection. It marked a pivotal shift in my creative process after moving to the UK to study—from thinking first and then making, to making first and then reflecting. This change allowed me to engage more intuitively with materials and ideas, and it opened up new ways of connecting with others through my work.

Connection originated from a dream I had—what I created was an exact representation of that scene. At first, it felt like a bridge between dream and reality, like two lemons that looked different but were actually the same. That image became a symbol of my unconscious mind.

Over time, this symbol evolved into a medium for communication. It became a way for me to interact with others on a deeper level, and through that process, the work itself became a living expression of connection—not just between me and the people I met, but also between my inner world and the outside world. That’s why this project holds such deep personal meaning for me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Xinyue Tao, a London-based artist who graduated with an MA in Photography from the Royal College of Art in 2024. My practice explores self-identity, memory, and the unconscious, with a particular focus on how we perceive time and space. I work across photography, sculpture, and performance, following intuition as a central method in my creative process.

Over time, my work has evolved from introspective exploration to engaging with broader existential questions. I’m particularly drawn to the space between dream and reality—the moments where the boundaries blur. Through my practice, I invite viewers to reflect on the fluid relationships between self, time, and space, and how the conscious and unconscious continuously interact.

In 2024, I founded TearSlaly, a collective that marked my first cross-disciplinary collaboration with a textile artist. Centered on performance, the project delves into the emotional and symbolic dynamics of relationships between women. Through workshops and community-based activities, TearSlaly aims to foster connection across creative communities and create spaces for shared reflection and exchange.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the way it transforms how I see the world. It allows me to experience life through a poetic, surreal, imaginative lens—guided by feeling, intuition, humour, or whatever form expression takes in the moment. It’s a unique way of connecting with the world, one that constantly reminds me there are infinite ways to perceive and interpret reality.

What’s also deeply fulfilling is being able to connect with people through my own language—through symbols, gestures, or even abstract questions. For example, I sometimes start getting to know someone by asking, “Are you a symmetry person?” It’s a playful but revealing question. Depending on how they respond, we often end up in deep, unexpected conversations that go far beyond the surface. This question is not only a way to start a conversation, but also the starting point of my artistic practice. In those moments of exchange, I observe how I feel, and then translate those sensations into my visual language.This process continues to guide the way I create—shaped by the subtle interplay between inner perception and outer dialogue.

Ultimately, being an artist is also about discovering who you truly are. The process of creating is inseparable from the process of self-discovery. Your art reflects your inner world, and in that sense, your work becomes an extension of yourself. My art isn’t separate from me—it is me, and that honesty is what makes the journey so meaningful.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

At the heart of my creative journey is a desire to understand myself. When I first began making art, my initial question was simple yet profound: Who am I? That question became the starting point of everything. As my practice has evolved, so has my understanding of who I am.

Art has become both a mirror and a path—it reflects the different emotional, mental, and spiritual states I inhabit at various points in time, and also leads me toward deeper layers of self-awareness. I’ve come to realize that self-exploration, much like art itself, is an open-ended process. There’s no final answer—only continuous unfolding. And that’s what keeps me creating.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://txyart.com
• Instagram: xinyue_txy

Image Credits

Xinyue Tao