Wako Works of Art is pleased to announce a new exhibition of Fiona Tan. This will be her 6th solo show here at our gallery. This exhibition, entitled as Photo Works presents selected photographic works of the artist who is known in film installations.

The main and the largest oeuvre is the wall-spanning Vox Populi, Tokyo (2007); comprising the collection of 305 local family’s private photographs which are being rearranged and deployed as mural installation. This series of project, "Vox Populi" meaning people’s voice, is being recognized as one of her representative works since its first creation started in Norway. The titles synchronize the certain part of the world where project took place in order to create a portrait of the given places; previously on Norway (2004), Sydney (2006), Switzerland (2010) and the final installment, London (2012). Fiona Tan’s sustained interest on individual and collective identities and memories in a globalized world is known that it is based on her personal history of cultural blends."Vox Populi" invites viewers to get engaged to see the interpersonal depiction of the given city through the invitation of a private album. Amongst others in the series, Vox Populi Tokyo emphasizes on personal history within a family setting in this megalopolis, showcasing mundane everyday moments to the events of rite of passage from adolescence to adulthood. Then one will be able to reconfigure the places within themselves by witnessing people’s life.

In order to complete the selection of still pieces, the shown together are, West Pier (2006), the ruined entertainment pier in Brighton, Närsholmen (2008), shot on site of ­Gotland island in Sweden and Roof Tiles (2010), inspired in "Inujima island project" in Japan’s Setouchi archipelago. In addition, the photo work themed on Nellie (2013), the digital installation inspired from Rembrandt’s daughter, will also be on display for a glimpse of the film which is coming to be in the upcoming another exhibition of the artist, which starts from 19 July.

Related Exhibitions:
"Fiona Tan Nellie" Wako Works of Art (Solo),­ 19 July - 27 September 2014
"Go-Betweens: The World Seen through Children" Mori Art Museum (Group), 31 May - 31 August 2014
"Fiona Tan Terminology" Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, 19 July - 23 September 2014; N­­ational Museum of Art Osaka, 20 December 2014 - 22 March 2015
IZU Photo Museum, 2015 [Titles to be decided]
­­

» Press Release(PDF)

Fiona Tan

Education
1988-1992 Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam
1996 – 1997 Rijksakademie van beeldende kunst, Amsterdam

Fiona Tan works primarily within the realm of lens-based media such as film and photography. She was born in 1966, Pekan Baru, Indonesia, to a Chinese-Indonesian father and an Australian mother. Now lives and works in Holland since 1988 having studied in Amsterdam and Hamburg. Her works are known for contesting and underlining cultural identity.

She is represented in many international public exhibitions as well as private collections including Tate Modern, London, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Schaulager, Basel, the New Museum, New York and the Centre Pompidou, Paris. Also she participates many international art fairs including Documenta. Notably in 2009, she represented Dutch pavilion for the 53rd Venice Biennale, and in 2010, a large-scale solo exhibition Rise and Fall circulated America and Europe. At Venice Architectural Biennale in the same year, her media works featured a house project conducted by Sejima Kazuyo in Inujima island in Japan. In 2013, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa hosted an exhibition Ellipsis, which marks the first retrospective to be held in Japan.