Mark Tan

b. 1991, Malaysia

A multidisciplinary artist, Mark Tan returned to Malaysia after studying in Britain, he was taken aback by how much things had changed back home in Kuala Lumpur. He realised the buildings he was familiar before were no longer exist, and new building arises to replace the old structures.

With this new spirit, the artist decided to channel his thoughts into art. And the result of his works is a striking display of monochromatic images and etchings that explore concepts of memory, place and identity. “Being away made me look at where I came from in a different way, and appreciate the things I took for granted. I was curious about this sensation I was feeling: Why did I miss the things that are gone?” says Tan.

To him, the hidden beauty in printmaking is that there are so many possibilities and variations. All these shapes in his works are his way of exploring shape and form. According to him, these shapes greatly influenced how one’s artwork is viewed. “In memories, some things are vivid, and some things are a little blur. You sometimes wonder, did something actually happen or was it not real?” mused Tan.

Mark Tan obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Drawing and Applied Arts from the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) in 2014. Working through photography, drawing, and printmaking, his various configurations become sensory fragments that investigate the methodologies of mark-making. The psychological spaces of memory as a site of constant flux are then used as a trigger for Tan’s practice. Mark Tan has exhibited both locally and internationally in Singapore, Indonesia, France and the UK.