Art 2 Play

THE ENERGY TRAP: Painting & Sculpture

2010-04-08T11:25:00.009+08:00

Art Exhibition -- Presented by Valentine Willie Fine Art, VWFA
Thu 8 to Fri 23 Apr 2010
at The Annexe Gallery, Central Market, Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: Sun to Fri, 11am to 8pm | Sat, 11am to 9.30pm
Admission Free

Fabian Tan and Lisa Foo are participating artists in this group exhibition.

LOVE BUG, 2010 by Fabian Tan
Perspex, old book pages, colour pencil & gloss finish, 58 x 80cm

"The need to be creative heralds the formation of a cellular community, energy moving energy about. It motivates and gathers inspiration, and the end result is an exterior reflection of interior goings-on, albeit abstracted or full of symbolism. Sometimes we forget that art is about energy; personal energy which differs with every individual who tries their hand at being an artist."
- Suraya Warden, curator of The Energy Trap -

Harnessing the spectacular energy of some of Malaysia’s most interesting contemporary artists, Valentine Willie Fine Art (VWFA) presents The Energy Trap: Painting & Sculpture, a fun and dynamic exhibition curated by Suraya Warden at The Annexe Gallery.

Participating artists include Abdul Latiff Ahmad Padzali, Azam Aris, Bibichun, Cheong Tuck Wai, Fabian Tan, Gan Chin Lee, Hee Chee Way, Lim Keh Soon, Lisa Foo, Low Eng Seng, Mohd Safwan Ahmad, Saiful Razman, Samsuddin Wahab, Syafiq Ali’am, Tan Chee Hon and They.

OCEAN ABODE, 2010 by Lisa Foo
Recycled PET bottles, wire mesh, nylon string,
metallic paint (golden yellow & black metallic),
LED light bulb, 380 x 120 x 70cm

More info at VWFA

New Kid on the Block

2009-10-18T23:25:00.010+08:00

by FABIAN TAN

Art for Grabs Raya Special at The Annexe Central Market, Kuala Lumpur

26 & 27 September 2009

Emotional concrete art blocks as either paper weights or even a weapon to remind you of a particular portion of your life which you should appreciate. When that new kid on the block arrives, you'll know.

Reconciling Differences

2009-08-05T21:56:00.006+08:00

text by Lee Xiaohui
in the ISH issue 10.2 Singapore, page 018

Curtain Wall by Lisa Foo and Fabian Tan featured in the ISH premium products news issue 10.2 Singapore, page #018

excerpts from the article:

The concept behind The Living Room exhibition is a simple one - to fuel the dichotomy between the utility of art and the art of utility. Six couples with professions as artists, designers and architects were invited to create a product that encompasses both the art and utility, in the attempt to defy the conventional perception that art and utility do not share a mutual conduit.

The brief bears a quasi-resemblance to a relationship - the need to strike a balance through constant compromising and inspiring. As artists and life partners, six couples were given a budget to artistically exemplify how differences in spaces (and relationships alike) can be reconciled through the art of expression...

...Self proclaimed Yin and Yang, Foo and Tan make quite a striking duo. Equipped with a fresh and cheeky vision, Tan's concepts represent the aesthetic part of the collaboration. Foo, on the other hand, has a functional aesthetic architectural approach to her designs. A combination of the imagination and the functional has proven to reveal a different perspective on the mundane and pushed the definitions of art beyond its limitations. The portmanteau of their creative visions is best represented in their submission, the Curtain Wall. The inspiration was derived when cruising through the residential neighbourhoods of Kuala Lumpur. They noticed the boring installation of draped curtains, hung with the sole intention of protecting privacy and to beat the heat. The other revelation is that the standard vapid, uninspiring lining of the draped cloth curtains could belie the otherwise vibrant internal composition of its interior decorations. In the light of this, the artistic couple constructed a piece of sculptural curtain piece that "invites creative manipulation of its freeform shape according to the inhabitant's imagination". In Foo's own words, " we wanted to demonstrate the proof of life with our work."

Message in the Crater

2009-08-05T21:10:00.001+08:00

by Fabian Tan at Urbanscape 2009, KLPAC

Fabian Tan participated in URBANSCRAPS installation @ KLUE Urbanscapes 2009, Saturday, 27 June 2009 at Kuala Lumpur Performance Art Centre, KLPAC. The installation titled Message in the Crater. Medium old comic books and fishes!

Photos by Darren Tham

Short Sighted

2009-08-05T21:00:00.002+08:00

by Lisa Foo at Urbanscape 2009, KLPAC

Lisa Foo participated in URBANSCRAPS installation @ KLUE Urbanscapes 2009, Saturday, 27 June 2009 at Kuala Lumpur Performance Art Centre, KLPAC. The installation titled Short Sighted. Medium recycled PET bottles and LED lights!

More @ LFSS

Urbanscraps 2009

2009-06-03T18:14:00.012+08:00

Lisa Foo & Fabian Tan participating artist in URBANSCRAPS installation @ KLUE urbanscapes 2009
Saturday, 27 June 2009
@ KL PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE - KLPAC

More info here

Marvel at the marbles in TLS09

2009-04-22T20:01:00.018+08:00

GU-LIGHT 2009 by Fabian Tan

Title: Blind people can see more clearly

GU-LIGHT, 2009

is an experiment involving an almost extinct Malaysian
childhood game, guli or marbles. I remember myself as
a child who would stare into the guli and was always
hypnotized by the swirls of colours floating in the glass.

The art works represent a fusion of abandoned wooden
crates and other junk material, light and guli to create a
feel of nostalgic magic.

Title: Mon plays with his marbles

Title: Eye see you

Fabian Tan's GU-LIGHT series currently exhibited at

The Light Show 2009: TLS09 is a Light Sculpture Exhibition

at The Annexe Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Thursday 16 April - Sunday 3 May 2009, 11am - 7pm
Admission Free

Be electrified in TLS09

2009-04-22T19:48:00.013+08:00

Electrolyte Series by Fabian Tan

ELECTROLYTE Series - Blah, 2009

The artwork is a signifier for the creepy evolution of the computer. Since its birth, it has intrigued mankind but I have been observing lately that the computer seems to be assimilating profusely into people’s life. The reliance on computers is heavier than ever in this age of emails, internet, social networks, games and softwares. Not long ago, I used to laugh at the notion of a terminator in the movies but now, I am terrified of witnessing its slow birth. Electrolyte should remind us of the computer’s emergence as a living breathing entity. The whirl of lights represents veins behind its skin. Beware of the computer.

ELECTROLYTE Series - Burn, 2009

Fabian Tan's ELECTROLYTE series currently exhibited at
The Light Show 2009: TLS09 is a Light Sculpture Exhibition

at The Annexe Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Thursday 16 April - Sunday 3 May 2009, 11am - 7pm
Admission Free

Next, we have...

2009-04-08T15:24:00.012+08:00

THE LIGHT SHOW 2009 : TLS09

GU-LIght by Fabian Tan

Light Sculpture Exhibition
at The Annexe Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Thursday 16 April - Sunday 3 May 2009, 11am - 7pm
Admission Free

The Light Show 2009 presents an assortment of lights and light installations made from recycled/found objects to humour, cajole and inspire. Exhibitors include Bernard Chauly, Carolyn Lau, Fabian Tan, Farah Azizan, Jazmi Izwan Jamal, Lisa Foo, Loh Kok Man, Mah Su Sim, and Richard Lau.

The Light Show 2009 was made possible with support from the Krishen Jit-ASTRO Fund. With thanks to Galeri Tenaga, GDP Architects, and Balai Seni Lukis Negara - National Art Gallery of Malaysia.

Click on invitation card for more details.

Curtain Wall Sculpture

2009-03-27T12:11:00.015+08:00

by Lisa Foo & Fabian Tan

THE LIVING ROOM: Artistic Designs by Artistic Couples

Design Exhibition
Fri 27 Mar to Sun 12 Apr, 11am to 7pm
Presented by Jendela KL

in association with The Annexe Gallery,

in conjunction with KL Design Week 2009.

curtain wall 1, 2 , 3

Bringing the art gallery into the domestic sphere.

The Living Room will feature prototypes of six original designs by six real-life artist designer couples including Azliza Ayob & Kojek, Ili Farhana & Bebe, Johanna Varghese & Simon Keogh, Lisa Foo & Fabian Tan, Tsuji & Yeoh Lian Heng, and Wong Min Lik & Wong Eng Leong. All the works are drawn from the artists' domestic experiences in their investigation of the special relationship between home interiors and personal aesthetics to develop viable products that marry form and function.

Artists statement

A self-proclaimed Yin and Yang, Lisa and Fabian have taken it upon themselves to “create something enlightened” using her functionally aesthetic architectural approach and his fresh and cheeky visions.

As innovative crafters of spatial dimensions, the curious couple persists in pushing the definition of art beyond its limitations by revealing a different perspective on the mundane.

Cruising through the residential neighbourhoods of modern Kuala Lumpur, they couldn’t help but notice the glare of rows and rows of bland glass windows. The exposed drab lining of draped cloth curtains belie the potentially lively internal composition of a home’s decorations and symbolically restrain the idea of a curtain as a purely utilitarian object used to protect privacy and beat the heat.

“We wanted to demonstrate the proof of life with our work,” shares Lisa.

“The boring construction of curtains – truly nasty! – doesn’t give a meaningful impression of what a home feels like on the inside as seen from the outside,” adds Fabian.

With the development of the Curtain Wall installation, Lisa and Fabian offer a means of expression that surpasses the usual 2-dimensional plane of the curtain. By uniting its external and internal nature, the couple have conceptualised the curtain as an interactive sculptural piece. Accordion-like with its folds and cords, the Curtain Wall invites creative manipulation of its freeform shape according to the inhabitant’s imagination. The visual appeal of the traditional curtain is enhanced by the dual play on its shape and decoration. Using Jendela KL’s seasonal colour palette, the Curtain Wall injects a playful yet sophisticated energy into the home environment.

Through their work, Lisa and Fabian seek to realise the transformation of the expected into art and beyond. When asked how to define their work, Lisa and Fabian look at one another and laugh, “sculptural!” With their redefinition of space and perspective, that neatly sums up their philosophy.

text from the annexe gallery website

Curtain Wall Sculpture in THE LIVING ROOM

2009-03-17T18:52:00.007+08:00

The Annexe Gallery, Kuala Lumpur: 27 March - 12 April 2009

Design for Curtain Wall Project by Lisa Foo & Fabian Tan, 2009

THE LIVING ROOM: Artistic Designs by Artistic Couples
Design Exhibition
Fri 27 Mar to Sun 12 Apr, 11am to 7pm
Presented by Jendela KL in association with The Annexe Gallery, in conjunction with KL Design Week 2009
Admission Free

More info here

Creative Crafters

2008-12-29T12:07:00.012+08:00

KLUE magazine issue #122: 2008 December - page 063

Roller Coaster was featured in KLUE magazine in the issue of looking back at 2008.

excerpts from KLUE page 063 article under FEATURES - CREATIVE CRAFTERS

2008 has been an exciting year for the creative industry ...

... Among the things to come from the local creative scene this year:

Roller Coaster by Fabian Tan & Lisa Foo

Over the Merdeka weekend, we toasted to Fabian and Lisa for their brilliant invention of putting wheels on coasters to get... Roller Coasters!

Roll... Roll... Roller Coaster wheeling back!

2008-12-29T11:23:00.021+08:00

Animal Ghetto Golden Series are back at the Art for Grabs Xmas Special for this holiday seasons. Each pair or set of fours has a story line - scene that is witty and twisted in some way, with black and white illustrations from original magazine newsprint dated 1889, more than a century old. These vintage art pieces created by Fabian Tan to amuse you and your guests at any party.

I get high...

Hippy Hippo

X-factor

Red Riding Hood & the wolf

Scapegoats

Black Sheep

Stud & his muses

from left to right: Double Trouble; Seal-ed with a kiss

Cinderella & the pig

Hump me...

Mamma Mia

Roller Coaster LIMITED edition at the

Art for Grabs Xmas SPECIAL 2008

The Annexe Gallery, Central Market, Kuala Lumpur

ROLLER COASTER Limited Edition

2008-12-15T13:11:00.028+08:00

weekend 20-21 December 2008, 12noon-8pm
the Annexe Gallery, Central Market, Kuala Lumpur

Art for Grabs Xmas Special

Roller Coaster LIMITED EDITION is back!

for this weekend at the Art for Grabs XMAS SPECIAL. The Golden Series specially designed and crafted by Fabian Tan.

This may be the weirdest keeps or gift you will ever have for this season's greetings. A piece of vintage that is suited to funk up any party!

What is Roller Coaster?
Like the song goes... 'tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la..., and soon we will be toasting for the NEW YEAR too. Shall we do it differently this year? Yeah... let's have drinks served on coaster with wheels!
Now that is "Roller Coaster" art!

Elective Affinities

2008-12-01T08:54:00.017+08:00

by Abby Lu in Singapore Architect (SA) Oct 2008 Issue #246

cover page of SA issue #246

Corner Art by Fabian Tan, Nail Art & EMMA house by Lisa Foo of FOTA Design featured in Singapore Architect, SA magazine October 2008 Issue #246 on our collaborative works in art and architecture.

Excerpts from the article:
Between Light & Shadow

Art has the capacity to influence architecture, whether as a culmination of culture in its most exquisite form, or as a subtle craft of everyday life (like making Teh tarik).

I met with two young architects heavily involved with artistic endeavours in their spare time: Lisa Foo and Fabian Tan. Their collaborative works are showcased via FOTA Design.

Lavishing his attention on architectural corners, Tan playfully expresses his empathy towards the "loneliness" of corners that are often left unadorned. He created an art form he terms "Corner Art", which escapes two dimensional limitations to give room for experimentation with strong (and sometimes tongue-in-cheek) signifiers, impressing the curator who selected his work for an exhibition of 10 emerging Malaysian artists at Galeri Petronas.

Foo, on the other hand, is inclined toward sculptural shapes. Working on materials ranging across plastic and bronze, she has carved and fashioned an array of both animate and inanimate objects. That aside, her attraction for the unexpected play of shadows gave birth to shadow pets - metal nail sculptures that cast shadows resembling animals. Like the blot test, these shadows could be read differently.

RETROSPECTIVE_MY

2008-11-14T22:39:00.013+08:00

13-14 November 2008
Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Kuala Lumpur

A parallel exhibition with Kyoorius Designyatra showcasing Malaysian artists and designers on the theme of an intriguing restrospective of Malaysia's past and history. Curated by Kraftgrafik / Figtree Design.

Fabian Tan presented his woodblock Corner Art 'Censorship'.

Artwork rationale:
Censorship in Malaysia almost immediately implies the omission of nudity, sex, strong language, violence or sensitive religious themes usually in TV shows and films. However, if one observes closer, censorship could also broaden itself to the filtering of information in the guise of political agendas and vested interests of certain individuals. The same almost implies to this piece, deconstruct the words and the images as it takes each corner. You may soon see censorship may not be what it was truly intended to do.

Man & God 2008

2008-10-10T23:54:00.020+08:00

Fabian Tan is a participating artist for the Man & God 2008 International Visual Feast event in Beijing, China. For more info on Man & God 2008.

Artist Statement of Man + God

There is always an obvious connection between the existence of man and his place. This russian doll series explores the sequence of unfolding the vast universe to earth, nature, the built environment and finally to man himself.

Man has sometimes forget to question the fascinating fact of our planet in relation to the universe. What is even more intriguing is that earth’s fragile life of landscapes and animals seem to co-exist quite seamlessly before man’s interference.

Perhaps all of this could have been designed and created by God. The ultimate question is ‘if God did this, then where the hell is God?’

The art piece could provide a clue to his whereabouts, if you look a little closer.
About the Artist

Fabian Tan is formally trained and practising architect/artist who resides in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

His involvement in the arts emerged in November 2007 when he was an artist participant in the ‘Arts for Grabs’ event organized by the Annexe, Central Market. He created 'Corner Art' pieces which were later featured in an exhibition titled ‘Working Title’ in Petronas Gallery, Kuala Lumpur from 29 August 08 - 28 October 08. The exhibition featured 12 emerging Malaysian artists, whom expressed their art through different mediums.

He has currently begun to take himself more seriously in the arts, hopefully.

WORKING TITLE - Artworks by emerging Malaysian artists

2008-09-09T00:00:00.003+08:00

Fabian Tan is one of the twelve emerging Malaysian artists selected and his works - Woodblock Corner Art - is currently exhibited at Galeri Petronas, Level 3, Suria KLCC from 29 August till 26 October 2008.

Curated by Zainol Abidin Ahmad Shariff and Badrolhisham Tahir.

Image from 'Working Title' catalogue, Published by Petronas, Galeri Petronas, KL 2008

Woodblock Corner Art – 2007/2008

2008-09-08T23:00:00.004+08:00

by Fabian Tan

People decorate their homes with art on flat surfaces such as walls, floors, shelves and tables.

As an architect, this got me thinking. What if art can be viewed or displayed differently to get away from its two dimensional background? I looked at places in a room and found that corners are often neglected. It was this inconspicuousness that inspired me to create the woodblock corner art.

Original images were extracted from old books dating back as far as 1889 and blocked on pieces of wood, to be hinged and tucked in a corner. The art piece is folded on two planes or more, to give it a three dimensional form.

I enjoy playing with words. It is quite fascinating that words can be found within words in the English language. Depending on the angle of the viewer, different sides may unravel the structure of the word/s but at the same time, the word can still be read in its entirety. This word /s either complement or contradict the image. If read more carefully, this could evoke layers of mixed meanings and feelings usually associated with words and images.

The pieces are intended to be ambiguous with its word/s and understated with its archival look, perhaps caressing a corner so as to breathe life into it.

Sporty Human Gloves

2008-09-08T13:00:00.007+08:00

by Lisa Foo

This installation was created for the launch of Nike Sportswear (NSW) in conjunction with the 2008 Beijing Olympic. The eight icons of NSW were the inspiration for each art installation by eight Malaysian artists & designers incorporating elements of local context. Nike Sportswear Pop-Up Exhibition was held from 7-17 August 2008 at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

Icon: NSW T-shirt

I transformed the use of common rubber latex glove - Malaysian made product - by inflating it to mimic human forms in movement and wearing the logo of NSW T-shirt. The changing and multi-colour illumination was created to depict the multi-racial and colourful display of our Malaysian culture.

ROLLER COASTER at Art for Grabs

2008-09-08T12:00:00.010+08:00

We are back for the third time! Art for Grabs Merdeka Weekend at the Annexe, Central Market, Kuala Lumpur on 30th & 31st August 2008.

Since it's a weekend of celebration, let's toast to our 51st anniversary of MERDEKA!

Better yet, let's have drinks served on coaster, with coaster on roller, and call it "Roller Coaster" art.

Golden series - Animal Ghetto by Fabian Tan

Copper series - Living in Surburbia by Lisa Foo

ROLLER COASTER - Golden series

2008-09-08T11:00:00.008+08:00

Animal Ghetto by Fabian Tan

Word play coupled with miniature animal on illustration taken from old book dated as far back as 1889, to create a conversational piece while serving drinks with coaster on rollers.

Title: What's up?

Title: Horn-y

Title: Meals

Title: 6-9

Title: Z-Bra

Title: Farm choir

ROLLER COASTER - Copper series

2008-09-08T10:30:00.009+08:00

Living in Surburbia by Lisa Foo

Miniature door house furniture placed on colourful Japanese origami paper to re-create the living spaces of a suburbia house, to be arranged and re-arranged on coaster with rollers as one fancy their home to be.