Today we’d like to introduce you to Rose Luardo.

Hi Rose, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

Oh Gosh! I began my art and performance life after graduating from school and deciding to move to Philadelphia where things were a bit gnarlier. This was in the late 90s. A bunch of folks who had just graduated from RISDI started an art collective called Space 1026 and it was part gallery, part studio, and part performance art/music/happening venue. I was a huge fan of everything coming out of Space 1026. I kept sniffing around until I began working on various art shows that were happening regularly. My first participation at Space 1026 Gallery was in Smash it, Break it, Eat it a combination of food, sculpture, and performance art show. I went toward the endeavors that screamed the loudest: an 18-person dance troupe that made costumes, and props and performed on 4 national tours. An art-rock band. A solo theater show. Stand-up comedy. Sketch groups. Comedy theater. Theater festivals. Video art. If you’re deeply inspired you’ll find like-minds that want to create with you and I was able to learn a lot through my creative friendships. One thing leads to another (I know that sounds so cliche, but it’s the truth) and soon I signed with a talent agency and was booking gigs.

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?

I didn’t know I was on a road because my mind was looking towards jobs and responsibilities and my art practice was done for pure joy, excitement, and party pleasures. I was working what I’ll call “regular-ass” jobs – 9-5 gigs that paid the bills and didn’t require a ton of work outside the office. After work and on the weekends I went nuts. I’d book mini-tours with my band, I’d use my vacation days to go on dance tours and I’d work in my basement or any corner of my house on my art projects. There was no struggle because I wasn’t looking to get anywhere. It would have been a completely different ballgame if I was looking to make serious money from my art life. But I was having an art life, not a career. The goal has always been to be able to pay the bills and have time to have buckets of fun.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

My work sits in the unlikely space between Nao Bustamante and Chris Farley. It isn’t high or low brow, it’s a drunkenly shaved brow redrawn with a Sharpie marker using the ass of someone’s red leather pants as a mirror. Scrap is my aesthetic. I feel compelled to make from left-overs and trash, but most importantly what is real. Amidst the contemporary practice of artists and comedians supporting their live performances with video, I feel my performance is most potently communicated and the characters come alive when I am using excavated materials found in our world. I source the gems from the thrift store and ask: who created this all-in-one makeup bag wallet cellphone case? Who owned this hot pink power-suit, and the crucifix made of walnut shells? I love the look of a Pee Wee’s playhouse, the camp/trash of John Water’s movie Pink Flamingos, or the magical cardboard worlds of Thu Tran’s Pizza Party. I show the stitching and the guts where the edges aren’t hemmed perfectly on purpose. I make props and set pieces from papier-mâché, found items, and fabrics. I made a Louis Vuitton trash can that often appears in my work. My materials are simple and real and are displayed in art galleries and street corners.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?

Lessons arising from the pandemic fell into a few themes for me: we need investment in public health and health infrastructure, the altered human environment left a permanent mark on our mental health, the importance of taking stock of exquisite pleasures, learning how to be alone and learning how to help others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.roseluardo.com
• Instagram: Rose Luardo
• Facebook: Rose Luardo
• LinkedIn: Rose Luardo
• Youtube: Rose Luardo

Image Credits

Photos by: Heather Raquel, Thom Lessner, Ashley Berkman and Rebecca Flake