Personal Alchemy
Lola Rose Eros (he/she/they) is the artistic pseudonym of Lauren Couch, a multifaceted full-time artist whose work combines visual art with dance, fashion and self-portrait. We first got to know Lola on the set of our forthcoming feature-length documentary, Framing Agnes, where they served as Assistant Production Designer. Drawing inspiration from his Black and queer artistic forebears and peers, from Prince and Grace Jones to Angelica Ross and Def Sound, among so many others—Lola brings a dazzling vision of bold, fantastical color and Black, trans majesty to this year’s SKEW. We wanted to get to know Lola in detail, so we asked her a few questions about himself.
Interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Tell us about your artistic practice. What mediums do you work in? What ideas do you explore in your art?
My artistic practice is a spiritual pursuit of giving form and home to personal truths. I’m primarily a visual artist, and my most engaged tools are a camera, vibrant color, carefully selected wardrobe, and my own body. I’m a dancer and fashion enthusiast who likes to create portraits of a moment to convey messages, provide comforts, and tell a story. I also draw and write as a hobby, and as a method of giving shape to a specific idea for a piece. I love to explore the idea of what freedom means in my art. The revolutionary act of cultivating deep love with one’s self and between Black Trans kin is a favored topic, and I like to mix in mythological themes and archetypal imagery. I draw lots of inspiration from kink and the occult as mirrors into the human psyche.
I’m fascinated by your ability to shift between such a wide variety of media in your art and connect them with one another. How did you get started learning all these skills and making art?
It began when I took ballet and ice skating as a child, and then evolved into drawing when I was an anime-obsessed teen. I was also making my own clothing alterations and accessories from thrifted finds during that time. Photography found me at community college, and I started modeling to better understand what it was like on both sides of the lens, which then inspired me to get into self-portraiture to understand my own presence in front of a camera. I did a lot of experimenting to see which parts of me and my previous experiences were applicable to my next interest. In 2011, I posted my first batch of self portraiture on ModelMayhem.com and linked up with college students, local and traveling photographers passing through my area to improve my portfolio. I began to assist on shoots between booking my own gigs, and I’ve found all kinds of ways to make those skills into a living. It’s taken me through some incredible experiences across the world and locally with friends. I come from a family of creators and entrepreneurs, so I give credit to them for my thrive, as well as the great friends who put me on to opportunities that align with my goal and intention.
Is there a recent project you’re particularly proud of? What do you currently have in the works?
An ongoing project that I’m working on is a self-portrait series titled “eros&persephone” which explores sexual-spiritual awakening through BIPOC kink spaces. It was intended as a collaborative work at the start, but those efforts are currently on hold due to quarantine. I’m creating my own in-home studio space to continue the series and I’m in conversation about how to advance the series going forth with social distancing in place with collaborators. You can see the seeds of this project on my Patreon.
I’m particularly proud of my most recent endeavors as Creative Director of the music video by Lafemmebear titled “If”, as well as my work as Assistant Production Designer on the forthcoming feature-length film, Framing Agnes.
What do you aspire to with your art? What are your goals and dreams?
I make art to understand myself and so far, it’s taken me to some incredible places with wonderful people that I’d have never hoped to meet. I’d love to keep creating with amazing people, helping to make others feel less like they’re alone with my visual storytelling. It would bring me joy to do so on a larger scale.
“My art cannot be separate from my Blackness, my genderfluidity, and the space where ancestral experiences and my own lived experiences collide.”
I aspire to learn how to tell the whole story. Short-term goals include being able to create regularly. Right now, just sourcing the right materials for my work can take a year or more because of how much they can cost (though I’ve learned a lot about DIY in the process). I’d like to own a studio space to produce a finished art concept monthly. I’ve dreamed of being a fashion designer, an animator, a cinematographer, a musical artist—these are the only aspirations I’ve yet to make happen for myself, minus some travel destination dreams. I’m building the skills right now that are necessary for achieving those bigger dreams, however they unfold, just like I was doing when I was six years old in a ballet studio and totally oblivious to the ways that dance, 18 years later, would apply to my freelance modeling career.
We’re so excited—and honored, honestly—to have you on the SKEW curatorial team this year. You’re bringing such a unique vision to the pages of this magazine. What excites you about being part of the team?
I would try to distill my fanboy squeal into actual human words, but such a thing seems unlikely to be successful. I get to work with incredible people and on a team of Black curators to create the magazine we want to see, and having a platform for our vision to be amplified is just essential. Being a part of this team has been beautiful, so I’m jazzed about all of it.
What’s something about your art that people don’t always understand? What do you wish more people understood about you as an artist?
My art cannot be separate from my Blackness, my gender fluidity, and the space where ancestral experiences and my own lived experiences collide. For me, being an artist is a process of digesting life and transmitting the messages I learn from living. It’s a process of transmutation and personal alchemy, and it is a constant feature, even when I’m not ready to peel out of my introvert shell to show it. I’ve learned to appreciate a balance between being a lover of silence and letting my muse play loudly.
To see more of Lola’s work, find them on Instagram at @lola.rose.eros or support her on Patreon.