End

Installation by Kenneth Gaik Siew Tan

October 17 - 29, 2022

Dale Brock & Visiting Angels Gallery

Exhibition Statement

My works concern the Old and New, Order and Rebellion, Push and Pull, Craft and Arts. These are dualism processes that are complementary to the energy in this universe. Most of the work is to open a dialogue with the audience as silent. This conversation is as silent as discreet, but there is a rebellious message within the silence. As a Malaysian-born Chinese living in a foreign land, my studio practice is rooted in exploring culture and identity issues. I am overly self-conscious, questioning my "self" and who surrounds me. It is a complex presentation issue, either norm or 'otherness' in any aspect of life. Due to this fundamental objective, the outcome of most of my work is the least important compared to the "process of creating." Each stroke of ink, or paint, is not merely a mark; it layered a collective of information and meaning of the identities. The work, titled "End," is concerned with transforming synthetic materials into ethereal aesthetic experiences through various media- installation, drawing, and sculpture. The ordinary materials used in the structure are school-grade glue, water, chicken wire, yarn, red sand, and ink. Furthermore, it opens a dialogue between drawing, sculpture, and installation aspects. All the gestures of applying ink to the surface and ink soaking through the paper happened in less than microseconds. Thus it suggests a dynamic that will never be able to be captured. I would hold those moments with the representation of the thread dripping through the paper. The 'ink' sipped through the form and eventually dissolved into its original cell as a static molecule pigment. By the end of this exhibition, "End" will be discarded and reborn into new forms as a symbolic way to a new beginning.

Artist Bio

Kenneth Gaik Siew Tan is an artist who lives and works in Dallas, Texas. He was born in Perlis, Malaysia. He travels for work from Malaysia, Singapore, and Arizona. He graduated with an Engineering degree from Malaysia, self-taught and decades-spanning practice in the creation and currently pursuing a Master of Fine Art focus in Studio Painting at Texas Woman University. His work has been shown in Agora Gallery New York and Canvas Art Gallery, Dallas, the MAC Dallas, and Texas Woman University.