Born and raised in southern China, Amy Luo obtained her Master's degree in European Film Studies at the University of Edinburgh and went on to further her research at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Since her graduation, Luo has been engaged with feature film projects, documentaries as well as news reportage both in China and abroad.
In 2015, Luo graduated from the International Center of Photography in New York with the Rita.K.Hillman Award of Excellence. Since then, her work has been exhibited and published internationally.
Luo currently divides her time between New York City and Shenzhen working as an independent photographer and filmmaker. From 2018 to 2021, she launched a series of public art projects aiming to depict lives of rural migrant workers in China, a largely marginalized community. Her projects have gained widespread attention and social engagement in China and were featured in numerous TV programs including an NHK World documentary in 2019.
Documentaries featuring Amy Luo
· Wedding Photos for Migrant Workers, NHK World, Japan, May 23rd, 2019
· Reconstructing Love Through Her Lens, Xinhua News Agency (CNC TV), China, May 1st, 2019
· Romance on Construction Sites, 24 Hour Program, China Central TV, February 10th, 2019
· A photographer Recorded 80 Stories on Construction Sites, Sina News, China, August, 2019
· Lenses, Faces and Cities, Xinhua News Agency (CNC TV), December, 2020
Awards
· Rita. K. Hillman Award of Excellence, International Center of Photography, 2015
· Finalist in Fine Art Photography, Magnum Photography Awards, 2016
· First Place for Personal Work, Professional Category, Photo District News (PDN) “Faces”, 2017
· Student Spotlight, Lensculture Exposure Awards, 2017
· TOP 50 List, Critical Mass, Photolucida, 2017
· Honorable Mention for “Deeper Perspective”, International Photography Awards, 2017
· Silver, Fine Art-People, Prix de la Photographie, Paris (PX3), 2018
· Honorable Mention, Portrait, Julia Margaret Cameron Awards, 2018
· Excellent Photographer Award, Pingyao International Photography Festival (PIP), 2018
· Top Ten Chinese Portrait Photographers, 2019
· Youth Photographer Award, Lianzhou International FOTO Festival, 2024
Selected Publications and Press
· Lensculture, "Reconstructed Dream Portraits", 2016
· Magnum Photo, "Magnum Photography Awards 2016"
· Photograph Magazine, "The Dongting Lake People", text by Elisabeth Biondi, 2017
· Lensculture, Feature, “Dreams”, text by Cat Lachowskyj, 2017
· American Photography 33, 2017
· American Photography 34, 2018
· PDN Magazine, April Issue, “Re-imagining Tibet”, 2018
· FLIP Magazine for London Independent Photography, “Till We Meet Again”, Issue 40, Summer, 2018
· GEO Saison, Germany, September, 2019
· China Photo Press, “China’s Migrant Workers”, August, 2019
· American Photography 35, 2020
· American Photography 36, 2021
· Chinese Photography, Cover, Issue No. 462, 2018
· Chinese Photographers, “Capturing Souls with Portraiture: Interview with Photographer Amy Luo”, May Issue, 2018
· China Photo Press, “Interview with Amy Luo: Out of Photographers’ Hands, Artwork Has Its Own Life Path”, November 6th, 2018
· Xinhua News Agency, Chengdu bureau,“Amy Luo, a Photographer in Pursuit of Her Dreams, and Her Ties with Tibet”, 2018
· People's Daily, Beijing, "Interview With Amy Luo, Magnum Photography Award Winner", 2016
· Ifeng.com News, Hong Kong, "2016 Magnum Photography Awards", 2016
· Ifeng.com News, Hong Kong, "Amy Luo's work on Tibetan Myths and Folklores", 2017
· Shanghai Photography Magazine, China, “Reaching the depths of subjects’ hearts”, 2022
· Planet China Magazine, “Uncovering the Untold: Interview with Photographer Amy Luo”, 2023
· American Photography 39, 2024
· The Paper, "An Interview with Amy Luo: Questions and Explorations in Her Portraiture", 2023
· The Paper, "Sixty Women Representatives for Sixty Years of Sino-French Ties", 2024
· Art News Magazine, "Film Star Huang Jue and Six Artists at PhotoFairs Shanghai", 2024
· Global Times Magazine, "Round Table Debate: Anyone Can Make Films with AI?" 2024
· American Photography 40, 2024
Selected Exhibitions
Solo
· Till We Meet Again, The 18th Pingyao International Photography Festival (PIP), Pingyao, China, 2018
· Dreams, The Third Shenzhen International Photography Festival, Shenzhen, China, 2019
· Portraiture·Xiongan, E Museum, Xiongan New Area, Hebei Province, China, 2021
· Tipping Point, Pintang Gallery, Shenzhen, China, 2021
· Critical Point, Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennial 2021, Macao, 2021
· Wakeful Reveries in A Small Town, Pengzhen Photography Week, Chengdu, China, 2023
Group
· "Tipping Point", Rita. K. Hillman Educational Gallery, ICP, NYC, 2015
· “#helloICP", ICP Museum, NYC, 2015
· Portrait Salon Awards 2017, London, 2017
· The 26th National Photographic Art Exhibition, Lishui, China, 2017
· “A Contemporary Reference of the Human Condition”, Photolucida Critical Mass Top 50, Edition One gallery, Santa Fe, 2018
· The 5th Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography, Barcelona, Spain, 2018
· Shanghai International Photography Festival, Shanghai, 2022
· PhotoFairs Shanghai (organized by Creo and Angus Montgomery Arts), Shanghai, China, 2024
· Lianzhou International Photo Festival, Lianzhou, 2024
Education
· University of Westminster, B.A. (Honors) in Media Studies-TV Production, London, 2003-2006
· University of Edinburgh, M.A. in European Film Studies, Edinburgh, 2006-2007
· The University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, M.A. in Cinema and Audiovisual Studies, Paris, 2009-2010
· International Center of Photography, One Year Certificate Program in General Studies, New York, 2014-2015
For additional information, please contact:
amy@amyluostudio.com