Bio

Laurens Tan (1950) is an Australian sculptor and transdisciplinary artist.

Born 1950 in Den Haag, Holland, Laurens migrated to Australia with his parents in 1962, where he still resides and works.

His work links sculpture, architectural and animated narrative space, graphics, industrial design, video and music, his key tool is 3D.

Tan’s current and recent work considers shifts in cultural identity, language, customs and is most interested in how design & culture connect.

He has a B.Ed (Fine Arts) from the University of South Australia (1978), a Master of Creative Arts (MCA) in Visual & Cultural Identity, University of Wollongong, Australia (1991), and Doctor of Creative Arts (DCA) in Communications and Media, University of Technology Sydney (2006). His primary research site for doctoral thesis ‘The Architecture of Risk’ was Las Vegas, where he also has a base and music studio.

Laurens served as Artist Advisory Group Member, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney (2004-06), as member of the Board of Directors, Asian Australian Art Association (4A), Sydney (1997-2007), the Wollongong City Gallery (2006-2008). He has been academic coordinator in Art (since 1980) & Design (since 1992) in undergraduate and graduate programs in Australia, USA and China.

He is currently Adjunct Professor at Tianjin Academy of Fine Art (since 2006) and at LaTrobe University, Melbourne (since 2011).

Tan’s work has been curated in survey exhibitions at the University of Chicago, Beijing Center (2014-15), Asian Landmark, Iberia Center of Contemporary Art (2011), Fat Art, Today Art Museum (2010), PKM Gallery (2008) in Beijing, China Code (solo retrospective) at the Melvin Gallery, South Florida College, Lakeland Fl. (2013), and previously at the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art, Houston Museum of Art, USA, the Shizuoka Prefectural Art Museum, Japan and at the Australian National Gallery, the Art Galleries of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Sydney Powerhouse Museum in Australia.

He was awarded Australia China Council Artist-in-Residence in Beijing (2006 & 2007), and more recently also in Beijing: Beijing Changnanyuan Ceramics Company (2014) and the Australia China Art Foundation (2014) and previously at the Banff Centre, Alberta Canada, the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, the Queensland University Art Museum.

Lives and works Beijing studio- 318 Art Garden, Hegezhuang. since 2009

Lives and works in his Las Vegas studio since 2012

Commissions

The Ox Lunar Lantern: City of Sydney, 2019

Sudu/ Speed: Murray Art Museum Albury, 2016

Depth of Ease in Vegas: Zappos Downtown, Las Vegas, 2016

Monkey Lunar Lantern Festival @ the Sydney Opera House: City of Sydney 2016

Empire Bookends: Basketcase- solo exhibition: The University of Chicago Beijing Center, 2014-15.

The China Code (A Retrospective): Melvin Gallery, Southern Florida College, Lakeland, Florida, 2013

ShiWaiTaoYuan : The Swire Group’s Opposite Hotel, Sanlitun in Beijing, 2012,

Babalogic II : Art Asia Miami (featured artist), 2012,

Happy Toy in Fat Art 2010: Modern Sky Beijing, China’s leading Indie music label, Today Art Museum.