Ta Men 他们 TAMEN (THEY) 1978 Lai Shengyu: Born in Shaoyang, Hunan Province 1979 Yang Xiaogang: Born in Ningxiang, Hunan Province 2005 Yang Xiaogang: Master of Fine Arts, Printmaking Department, Central Academy of Fine Arts 2004 Lai Shengyu: Master of Fine Arts, Printmaking Department, Central Academy of Fine Arts 2001 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Printmaking Department, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing Lai Shengyu and Yang Xiaogang form the artist duo Ta Men, which means “they” in Mandarin. They, “They”, stage outrageous, surrealistic scenes in paint and photo collage that star an ever-changing cast of characters. Though the scenes always take place on the same fictional “stage”—the corner of a cafeteria-like room in an urban high-rise—the location of the room shifts constantly as the window opens onto new horizons in every image. These collaborative paintings have more than just the two personalities that make them—they may be classifiable as fully schizophrenic An epoch of the late 70’s generation, THEY reveal their attitudes toward realities of society and their circumstances in a different approach from the artists of the older generation. THEY, through interior and conflicting juxtaposition, displays contradictory nature of society that is both corrupt and progressive. However, they do not reject nor expresses any sarcasm toward the real world seen outside the window. Individuals are merely consuming or entertaining themselves. Inside an individual surrounding environment and corrupted private space, inner and outer realm are juxtaposed. While other young artists are infatuated with the characterization of private narratives, THEY unveils inherent conditions and hidden aspects of the internal through the breach of the exterior. From this immanent observation THEY becomes the ‘true other’.’
Artist name: Tamen Title: Tibet Size: 180 x 280 cm Medium: Oil on Canvas Â
Artist name: Tamen Title: Twelve Beauties of Jinling 4 Size: 120 x 120 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Â
Artist name: Tamen Title: Snow Size: 100 x 250 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Â
Artist name: Tamen Title: Water Size: 35 x 45 cm Medium: Oil on Canvas
Artist name: Tamen Title: Floating Honor Size: 125 x 200 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Artist name: Tamen Title: Artwork Floating Size: 60 x 80 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Artist name: Tamen Title: Remarkable People Size: 50 x 150 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Tamen's latest series of works create a real yet poetic illusion, a vision that is out of this world where sadness & the sense of loss are difficult to avoid, so we grab every object that presents us with a sense of security, belonging, memory, and belief. In 'A Floating World', we see world famous artworks floating, luxury brands floating, people floating. They represent a universal state of our urban life, our daily exhaustion attempt to synchronize with the vagaries of the world to maintain a decent image acceptable in the modern, while constantly yearning to return to the heart of peace.
Artist name: Tamen Title: Girls with Famous Paintings Size: 90 x 140 cm Medium: Oil on Canvas Â
Artist name: Tamen Title: Lost Heaven II Size: 380 x 1000 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Â
< Artist name: Tamen Title: Holy Light Size: 70 x 50 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Tamenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work has gained acclaim in China and abroad for their ability to speak about contemporary China through serene scenes of maddening juxtapositions in vibrant cityscapes (in earlier works) and vast natural landscapes of harmonious cooperation between humanity and nature (in more recent works). Large canvases display Western-style oil painting techniques, thought-provoking conceptualizations, and complanation of the past and present. Often referencing the nature and tranquility typical of traditional Chinese painting and the ink painting aesthetic, the works remain wholly in the context of the contemporary. Â
Artist name: Tamen Title: Floating Abstractism Size: 60 x 120 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Â
Artist name: Tamen Title: Floating Dream Size: 125 x 200 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Artist name: Tamen Title: Shanghai Night Size: 90 x 140 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Â
Artist name: Tamen Title: Sunset Size: 80 x 100 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Artist name: Tamen Title: Island Size: 100 x 250 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Established Chinese contemporary artist duo Tamen's works are closely linked to the consumer culture, accompanied by interesting multiple landscape juxtapositions, attempting to present the modern people's confusion, a spiritual dilemma that people of Tamen's generation experience. Family planning, cultural reformation and opening up, globalization, urbanization, the Internet era and so on. A kind of unsustainable social stimulation rooted in our past value system in today's new world, people enslaved by self-creation and unawareness.
Artist name: Tamen Title: Floating Art History Size: 200 x 250 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Â
Artist name: Tamen Title: Lost Heaven I Size: 380 x 800 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Â
Artist name: Tamen Title: Antiques Floating Size: 60 x 120 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Artist name: Tamen Title: Floating Size: 60 x 120 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
In Tamen's 'Floating World', masterpieces of art and luxury brands have left their original positions and remain scattered across the land or floating on water. In this disorderly contemporary era, no one can escape from the dual paradox. We witness the existence of priceless treasures and count the market value of multi-trillion commercial giants, yet, we also question the waves in our sea of faith.
Artist name: Tamen Title: Twelve Beauties of Jinling 1 Size: 120 x 120 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Â
Artist name: Tamen Title: Art Trend Size: 50 x 150 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Â
Artist name: Tamen Title: Heaven & Earth Size: 125 x 200 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Â
Artist name: Tamen Title: Art Dream Size: 90 x 140 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Artist name: Tamen Title: Distant Love Size: 60 x 80 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Artist name: Tamen Title: In the Wild Size: 100 x 250 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Â
Q: What are the strengths and weaknesses of your artistic team during your art creation? Tamen: Our advantages are that both of us graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts with a very solid artistic foundation. Our understanding of art history & philosophy are very through. Since our establishment, we have achieved substantial academic and market recognition. The weakness is that we have not reached a 30-years milestone in our collaboration. Art groups that can persist for 30 years in the world is rare. But, based on the divorce rate of today's society, the fact that our duo has stood the test of time till now is better than a lot of marriages. (Laughs) It's a miracle in itself and we are truly blessed and thankful.
Artist name: Tamen Title: Love Size: 35 x 45 cm Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
PRIVATE AND INSTITUTIONAL COLLECTIONS: Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou Essl Museum, Vienna, Austria White Rabbit Collection, Sydney, Australia Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan Tan Guobin Contemporary Art Museum, Changsha Nokia Corporation, Finland Samsung Group, Korea French Ministry of Culture, France SOLO EXHIBITIONS: 2015 Micro-thought and the Micro-thought: TAMEN Apocalypse, Book Launch, Guangzhou Yuexiu District Library, Guangzhou 2014 Outside Within: New Works by Tamen, Art+ Shanghai Gallery, Shanghai 2013 Forget Themselves, Hunan Fine Arts Museum, Changsha 2012 Collective Memory, Canvas International Art, Amstelveen, The Netherlands 2011 Past and Present, They Solo Exhibition, Beyond Art Space, Beijing 2009 They, The Lost Heaven, Museum of Hunan Province They, Canvas International Art, Amstelveen, The Netherlands 2008 They, New York Asian Contemporary Art Fair, New York, USA Art Classroom, China Today Gallery, Brussels, Belgium 2007 They, Pyo Gallery Beijing, Beijing 2006 Ta Men, Pyo Gallery, Seoul, Korea 2004 Therefore It’s them and Surely It’s Them, The First Dashanzi Art Festival, Beijing, Long March
A Conversation with Ta Men (THEY) Contemporary art scene’s most recognizable artistic duo Ta Men’s name is a common ubiquitous Chinese word. It is the thirdperson pronoun for “they” used in daily conversations when referring to two or more people other than one’s self. Just like their namesake, there are no distinct physical attributes or cultivated personae that might distinguish Lai Shengyu and Yang Xiaogang as unconventional. If anything, they appear quite ordinary. Yet, the vast artistic output collectively produced by this two-men incorporation is far from commonplace. Surreal, flamboyant, wild, incomprehensible, contradictory and spectacular are just a few words that have been used to describe their paintings by critics and viewers alike. YANG GALLERY Team recently sat down with Lai and Yang in their Beijing studio in hopes of eliciting personal insight on the relationship and practice of this unique pair. Tamen formed in 2003 and consists of Lai Shengyu and Yang Xiaogang. Sharing a canvas and employing a collaborative painting technique, whereby each artist takes his turn to express opinion through figurative imagery, Tamen’s pictorial dialogues are the antithesis to individual “self” expression in artwork. Born in China’s Hunan Province, artists Lai and Yang moved to Beijing in the 1990s to study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), where they received their master’s degrees in the Department of Printmaking. It was during their time at university that Tamen decided to collaborate on paintings as a way to illustrate a less literal conversation about art and life in China. Their method of co-painting has altered very little since their early works—each artist offers an image to be elaborated, contrasted or juxtaposed by the other painter.
Collaborating on paintings is not new to China’s long history of art—calligraphers would add prose or poetry to the landscapes of an ink painting. Heroic panels and murals of the communist panels were often attributed to more than one painter and it was extremely common for a canvas to be shared by two or three painters during the 1980s. At the core of Tamen’s paintings are the relationships that dominate— between the landscape and figures and between a subject and audience. Whether the viewer is inside a room, on a building site, or standing in a field of grass, they are engulfed in the landscape of Tamen. In such a way, the artists replicate relationships in their paintings to reflect a rivalry between individual existence and collective will. 1. Your approach to painting and collaboration is quite multi-layered. Can you comment on the process and how you resolve any conflicts or differences as you create a work? How controlled is the dialogue? Are there preliminarily sketches and how much is left to chance as the painting takes form? Different ways of thinking and values are exactly what we need to produce images that are one-of-a-kind. Therefore, we don’t need to limit the boundaries of our conversation. Among the hundreds of works that we have created, there are a plethora of rich topics that almost cover every aspect of life in a society. During the art-making process, we set up a platform as background, but we never predict any result, and almost always work with improvisation. Sometimes, we even create on top of a finished work. There is never any pre-planned destination in our work. 2. You gained great acclaim in China and abroad for your Same Room series of paintings that embraced that nebulous territory between the real and the imagined world. While these paintings can be interpreted and appreciated for their own conceptual meanings, there is another layer that shares a similarity if not homage to the paintings in the early 1980s such as Zhang Qun and Meng Luding’s A New Era: Revelation of Adam and Eve, which juxtaposed Western art and religious imagery with references to a new and promising future. Overt examples such as broken frames or sun shining through a window in a dark room could be interpreted as artists’ feelings of entrapment and desire to break free from past political and ideological confinements. Your earlier work shares the above mentioned surreal instincts and numerous references to Western and Chinese icons of both art historical and popular culture. Do you see your generation as a continuation of that represented by the early ‘85-movement consciousness? Can you elaborate on where you situate your work in relation to the “first generation” of Chinese contemporary painters? It seems that our discussions are more complicated than those. First of all, a “house” serves as a stable platform for our artmaking, and we talk about “change and no change” in terms of its philosophical implications. In addition, urban development has been the core of Chinese society in the last 10 years, and the “house” has become a window that connects an individual and his society
The stories that happen in a house reflect the social changes in entire China. Any historic trend/movement must be enriched into the mind of the next generation. Perhaps we would carry on the way of thinking generated by the ‘85 New Wave Movement, but this relies on the observation of our audiences when looking at our work. Our works can’t be more conservative than the first generation of contemporary painters, because we progress with passing of time and the evolution of history in order to produce new values. 3. More recently you have shifted towards exterior scenes in which natural landscapes take prominence in the construction of the image. Your earlier Same Room series included the interdependent spaces of indoor and outdoor and are often read as metaphors of the outer physical world and one’s inner world of experience. Can you elaborate on this shift in perspective from being inside the room to outside and immersed in the landscape? We have been living in Beijing, a metropolitan city, for a long time. More and more people suffer from the “urban disease” (symptoms of urbanization) due to the high-speed economic development, and we are not exempted from that either, always thinking about escaping the city. Our bodies have yet to leave the city, but our works have reflected these thoughts by moving away from the city. From the urban sceneries in the period of “in the same house” to natural landscape, this is a natural transition, implying the changing of the society and our own experiences. 4. You are well versed in Western art history and its painting language, similarly you did not study ink painting or calligraphy in art school education so how confident do you feel with the more recent inclusion of traditional philosophical approach and theories into your works? The physical changes are oblivious, the canvases are smaller with fewer figures but perhaps the biggest changes are in your techniques, brushstrokes, pigmentation. How much of your work is now about the process of painting or the importance of technique over the subject matter? And how does paying more attention to process of creating a work affect the dialogue? We have studied ink painting and calligraphy since we were young. This has had a fundamental and deep influence on us, much deeper than what we studied in art school, which enables us to have a better understanding and well-formulated opinions of traditional philosophy and thinking. We try to insert traditional Chinese culture into contemporary works. There are differences between Eastern and Western cultures, but they are not opposite to each other, and we try to make a connection through our “conversation.” There is no way to calculate the percentage of skill versus subject. Making art is about sensibility, which requires talent and feeling. We always adjust our works according to things that have touched us.
5. Many artists engage with Chinese tradition in their work, even if to subvert and challenge it. Chinese art historical culture seems to be guiding your most recent choices of reference, materials, and media. How is the way you negotiate with tradition also relevant to present-day concerns? Tradition is not just on the surface of our work. We have our own unique understanding of traditions compared to other artists. Tradition is complicated and ever changing, and you can’t avoid your own tradition. Therefore it is naïve to rebel against or overthrow tradition, which has become a tiresome discussion over the years. Our work dynamically reflects the social realities and the changing cultures, which is obvious in our work. It awakens us from the hibernation of traditions. This transition does not originate from Chinese traditions, but encounters it unexpectedly, and we fall in love with the traditions as we go further. It’s almost like completing the cycle of spiritual incarnation and reincarnation. 6. Since the early 1990s international art audiences have concentrated their attention on the ideological and social struggles in China, which helped to attribute to the success of artwork that had aesthetic roots in the Western academic and propaganda imagery, such as Cynical Realism or Political Pop. Can you comment on the expectation for painters to make ideological or social commentary in their artwork today? And how does this expectation affect (if at all) your approach to painting? We are not concerned with the expectations that the audiences cast on the so- called social artists, so it doesn’t affect our attitudes toward painting. Only real social issues and culture can influence our art, as well as our own experience and knowledge.
The Abundant Wealth Increasing Potential of Art Investment Art investment is one of the three most profitable key investment areas in the world (finance, real estate, art investment). Because of its high rate of return and asset transfer flexibility, it has risen to become the hottest pursuit of investment and this has become the consensus of investors globally. Art investment is considered to be a mid to long term investment because excellent investment worthwhile artworks have great liquidity and ultra-regionality and are often the peak creations during an artist’s creative journey, therefore they have irreplaceable value due to its scarcity. With the socio-economic rise and an increased sustained demand, Art will soon be far beyond the supply and prices will inevitably rise significantly, its value surpassing far more than financial and real estate investment in the days to come. To comprehend a better understanding of what constitutes a successful or unsuccessful a.k.a profitable or non-profitable art investment collection, the key is to focus on three fundamental principles: The Creation of an unique artistic style, Irreplaceable technical-skill maturity, High degree of rigorous serious aesthetics. Age and seniority or status can be omitted, because this is not a measurement of the true value of an artwork. An art investment collection selected and built carefully with these three vital points in mind is not only risk-free, the profits return is huge. Why Chinese Contemporary Art? With China’s booming economic prosperity and national strength, the Chinese government has paid increasing attention to the protection of cultural construction and artistic resources. The Chinese governments have allocated a lot of resources and funds to the construction of museums and art foundations. On top of that, more and more domestic enterprises are building private art museums to enhance the corporate strength and image from both an investment and art functionality perspective. The trends of Chinese contemporary art will further tighten due to this large continuous demand. Art’s Profitability Factors These days, many long-term investors look to diversify their portfolios by investing in Art. If you’re still wondering whether it is feasible to earn a profit from investing in art, consider this: According to Art Market Research, the price of art has risen more than 1,000% in the last 40 years. Recent years have shown a consistent rise of 25% or more.
These kinds of returns have the investment world very interested – not only are large and small investors starting their own private collections, but many art investment funds have opened their doors and are ready for business. All in all, below are some key factors that further authenticate the profitability when you investment in art. 1.
Physical Asset: A big plus for many investors is the fact that you control the asset. It is in your care, not in the hands of an investment firm. Many people have a hard time trusting others with their investments, especially when wrongdoings and SEC investigations consistently make front page news. An art investment is all yours – the management, care, and storage are your responsibility.
2. Appreciates Over Time Unlike stocks, whose underlying companies reflect a volatile price, art usually appreciates steadily with time. If you have chosen the pieces in your collection wisely, sometime down the road your art is likely to be worth considerably more than what you paid for it. 3. No Market Fluctuations We all know what a roller coaster ride financial markets can be. However, stock market corrections, volatility, and other financial fluctuations are nonexistent in the art world. This is seen as one of the biggest advantages to investing in art. The collector can sleep peacefully at night, without the worries that plague other investors. All in all, to involve in art collecting and investing in today’s market is no longer something that is mysterious and profound. You will be surprised that the general audience and art experts’ agreeability on the selection of a fine artwork often reach 90% compatibility, as it is in our human nature to appreciate beauty and fine objects. Art as an investment is no more inaccessible to the masses and with the right planning, no longer an area to tread with caution.
About Us Chinese Contemporary Fine Art has become a global phenomenon! YANG GALLERY established in 2005, is one of the most prestigious Chinese Contemporary Fine Art galleries in Singapore & China. Yang Gallery presents the most established artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; works: Oil paintings, Sculptures, Watercolors, Photographs, Prints, Installations, Designer Furniture and Artistic Architectures etc. Yang Gallery constantly work closely with contemporary art museums, private art foundations, international art galleries, corporate organizations, large developments, prestigious hotels, luxury groups and investment banks to private art collectors etc from all over the region and the rest of the world. Yang Gallery have successfully exhibited huge number of the most influential exhibitions in the past few years on the art & culture exchange events such as: Fang Lijun Investing in Contemporary Fine Art Seminar at St Regis Hotel with Channel News Asia; Art & Cultural Exchange Conferences with Lasalle Art Singapore; Art Performances with Mercedes Benz group & Barclays Investment Bank etcâ&#x20AC;Ś as well as numerous charitable events sponsored by Yang Gallery in Singapore & Beijing. Yang Gallery has the most passionate, innovative, united & professional team to provide the most valuable culture information & contemporary fine art to art lovers from all over the world. It is always our greatest pleasure to provide the most excellent professional services to welcome & honor you into this most exciting Contemporary Fine Art world.
Our Services Yang Gallery has the most passionate, innovative, united & professional team to provide the most collectible and investment potential wide variety of arts to collectors who are passionate about art from all over the world! It is our great pleasure to provide the most excellent services and to welcome you into the exciting world of Chinese Contemporary Fine Art! Payment Mode Payment of purchases will be made through Telegraphic Transfer worldwide or by any credit cards or cash within the galleries. Shipping Services We provide the most professional and excellent shipping services door-to-door worldwide!
GALLERY ADDRESSES Yang Gallery • Singapore 19 Tanglin Road, Tanglin Shopping Centre, #02-41, Singapore 247909 Tel: +65 6721 8888 For any enquiries: spore@yanggallery.com.sg Yang Gallery • Beijing 798 3rd Taoci Street, 798 Art District, No. 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100015 Tel: +86 10 5762 3020 For any enquiries: beijing@yanggallery.info Yang Gallery • Beijing Original Art Expo Center, Songzhuang, Tongzhou District, Beijing, China 101118 Tel: +86 10 8957 8348 For any enquiries: Beijing@yanggallery.info www.yanggallery.com.sg
YANG GALLERY ART MERCHANDISE Inject the fun & excitement of Art collecting into every aspect of your life! YANG GALLERY Singapore & Beijing 798's Art Merchandise features the most established contemporary artists' artworks put together into everyday user-friendly phone cases, name card holders & power banks. For purchase inquiries: shion@yanggallery.com.sg / +65 6721 8888