Needle strokes in new light

Time, light, and space — rarely do these concepts enter the conversation around embroidery. But for artist Diao Juan, they are the foundation of a radical reimagining. With a needle as her brush and silk as her medium, Diao deconstructs one of China's oldest crafts and rebuilds it through the lens of contemporary art.

Her embroidered works glow with fluorescent threads under UV light, shimmer against aluminum and acrylic backdrops, and merge brocade motifs with Uygur patterns to construct immersive, multidimensional spaces.

Just how much potential can a single strand of thread hold? That's the question Diao, 40, seeks to explore. Through material innovation, light experiments, and interdisciplinary fusion, she pushes embroidery beyond its two-dimensional confines, featuring both rich textures woven from monochromatic stitching, and cyber dreamscapes built from fluorescent threads.

Diao presented her first solo exhibition, Time Through Stitches, at the Dream &Dream Art Center in Shanghai. It's a culmination of more than a decade of experimentation, melding light, materials, and tradition to push embroidery beyond the limits of fabric and into the realm of installation and experience.

"The changing of light is the greatest charm of thread," she says.

Diao's talent has not gone unnoticed. At last month's award ceremony for the Hand of Wisdom program, a collaborative Sino-French craft initiative, she stood out from a pool of 18 nominated artists to become the fifth recipient of the prize.

This year, the program spotlighted textile and embroidery craftsmanship. After months of nominations, preliminary reviews, and final deliberations, the jury selected Diao, a recognized inheritor of the Shu (ancient name for Sichuan province) embroidery tradition, for her experimental vision and unwavering dedication.

"I was genuinely surprised when my name was called," Diao says. "The other nominees were all incredibly accomplished in their own right. I was excited, and deeply honored."

Founded in 2019 by the Golden Phoenix Science and the Yishu 8 art platform, an art platform that boosts Sino-French cultural exchange, the program spotlights a unique craft each year, crowning a Chinese artisan as the victor and granting them a residency in France.

Lei Geye, founder of the Golden Phoenix Science, recalls the project's origin: "In late 2018, I launched the foundation to help outstanding young artisans explore and develop Chinese traditional arts. When Christine Cayol, founder of Yishu 8 and I began talking, we realized that Chinese crafts are incredibly diverse, while French culture is naturally curious and inclusive. It felt organic to launch a program that connected the two.

"For the artists, this award isn't the end. It's the beginning of a journey," Lei says. "For us, it's a joy to watch their growth, to see friendships deepen between China and France, and to continue supporting them over time."

The award, she adds, is not just about skill. As a jury member, Lei looks for artists whose passion is palpable, whose stories reveal deep-rooted devotion, and whose work communicates the spirit of Chinese culture in fresh, expansive ways.

"We want to celebrate not only the inheritance and innovation of traditional techniques," Lei says, "but also the way an ancient civilization can show its vitality in today's world, with openness, confidence and creativity."

Diao is exactly that kind of artist, one who merges the traditional techniques of embroidery with methods drawn from Western painting, while introducing innovative materials and a contemporary aesthetic.

A graduate of the oil painting department at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Diao began her career with canvas and brush. But as the art market cooled, she began to seek a more personal and tactile language.

She explored a wide range of folk crafts across Chongqing, from summer cloth weaving in Rongchang to lacquerware and fan making, until she stumbled upon embroidery at a craft expo. "I just knew: that was it," she says. "The material moved me deeply. It was embroidery itself that spoke to me."

In 2010, Diao began training in Shu embroidery under master Kang Ning. The learning was intense; she often sat for hours, stitching silk so fine it seemed to disappear under the needle.

By 30, she had founded her own embroidery studio.

There, she began experimenting with ways to bridge the classical roots of embroidery and modern art forms.

One early breakthrough reframed Shu embroidery within oil painting canvas, the minimalist compositions that, from afar, resembled abstract paintings, but up close revealed intricate stitching and vibrant threads.

With each experiment, Diao explored the diversity of embroidery, altering stitch patterns and refining visual motifs.

Her materials evolved too. In recent years, she has turned to acrylic, specifically, 3-millimeter acrylic boards punched with 5-millimeter holes, resembling magnified fabric weave. Through these grids, Diao threads fluorescent silk, creating glowing, spatial forms that feel less like textiles and more like light sculptures.

In 2023, she completed her largest piece to date: The Pink Light, a five-meter-long installation that took more than two months to embroider. Described as her "linear interpretation" of traditional Chinese ink wash painting, the work refracts threads and light into a meditation on motion, shadow and space.

"For me, embroidery is about measuring light and shadow with a needle," Diao says. "I'm always searching for that resonant frequency between tradition and the present. Silk thread carries a natural glow; and that's been my only key to capturing the fluidity of water and the rhythm of time."

Diao spent several months preparing for her recent exhibition in Shanghai, a show she describes as a culmination of years of artistic exploration. Now, with her win at the Hand of Wisdom award, she's entering a new chapter.

In addition to a 20,000 yuan ($2,790) cash prize, Diao has been granted a two-month artist residency at the International City of the Arts in Paris. During her time there, she will hold an open studio event and may also present a salon exhibition.

Cayol says interest in the Hand of Wisdom laureates has grown steadily in France and across Europe.

"Over the past few years, we've not only offered these artists residencies," she explains, "but also helped them build connections with important cultural institutions, such as the Mobilier National, France's National Furniture Collection. We've even opened up opportunities for collaboration with international luxury brands."

But for Cayol, the program's most meaningful impact goes beyond exposure or partnerships.

"What matters most is that we're giving young artisans the chance to fully immerse themselves in the French art de vivre: the best creativity, the best art, the best design that all come from daily life," she says.

Diao's Paris journey will begin with French language lessons. "We want her to engage with French culture starting with its language," Cayol says.

During the residency, Diao will be invited to explore regions like Cognac, interact with local craftspeople, and be introduced to potential collaborations with cultural institutions and luxury houses.

Diao, too, is eagerly anticipating the experience. Many of the paintings she once studied in textbooks as an oil painting student will finally be in front of her, in the museums and galleries of Paris.

She's particularly drawn to the city's architecture and vibrant exhibition scene.

"This will be my first artist residency," she says. "The past couple of years have been so busy. I'm really hoping this two-month stay will offer new inspiration and spark fresh creative directions."