Miao Tan
About
Born and raised in China (1998), I am a contemporary artist currently residing in London.
My recent work delves into gender fluidity, reflecting my understanding of society, family relationships, and social status. Through the use of traditional Chinese cultural material lacquer, I challenge the concept of gender as a fixed biological binary, presenting it instead as a fluid, socially constructed idea.
I use a combination of clothes and lacquer, an Asian organic material with an 8,000-year history, derived from Toxicodendron vernicifluum. Initially, a liquid lacquer dries into a hard protective layer that can preserve objects for millennia. This turning from fluid to fixed serves as a powerful metaphor, turning soft fabrics into rigid sculptures. The work itself is not static. For instance, in my piece “They, Them, Their” Series II, nearly a hundred hats are arranged together, rearranged, and transformed daily during the exhibition. This process highlights the opposition between binary gender and fluidity, as well as permanence and change.
Instagram: _miaotan
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