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VALE - Laurens Tan
Artist Laurens Tan, renowned for his fusion of design, sculpture, and digital media, passed away peacefully this week at the age of 74. His passing marks the end of a creative journey that spanned continents, cultures, and disciplines.
Born in The Hague, Netherlands, and raised in Sydney, Laurens Tan was a cultural bridge-builder, drawing upon his Chinese heritage to explore themes of identity, globalization, and the interplay between tradition and modernity. A lifelong learner, he earned advanced degrees in fine arts and design, and his academic curiosity often informed his practice, blending the intellectual with the intuitive.
Tan created sculptures and installations in locations from Sydney to Las Vegas, exploring themes of cultural identity, globalization, and East-West intersections. Playful works like the inflatable sculpture ‘The Three Wise Monkeys’ featured as celebratory punctuations at the Sydney Opera House in 2016 and later in L.A.
According to Dr Damian Smith:
In 2017 Laurens and I were living and working in a complex of artist studios in Beijing’s Chaoyang district, not far from the Red Brick Gallery. I was writing the monograph on Geoff Raby’s collection of contemporary Chinese art, which included several of Laurens’ artworks. Such pieces as his rather jaunty red and blue four-character bicycles are especially iconic. These diminutive sculptures feature the Chinese ideogram JIDU YOUXIAN (섐똑蕁國) suggesting ‘extreme relaxation’ juxtapoed against an image redolent of hard physical labour, the pedal-powered bicylce. Such artworks are clearly emblematic of China’s rapid economic growth and the disparities that arrived with it. As in many of Tan’s works irony is a prominent feature, highlighting both his humour and his capacity as a social commentator.
Laurens was also very hospitable, always welcoming in his studio where we would discuss the complexities of making a life in art. I found myself thinking of Laurens as an essentially Australian character, very open and laconic and extremely creative. He will be sorely missed.
L-R: Geoff Raby, Katrina Cashman, Laurens Tan, Damian Smith
The Rocks, after the opening for 'The Ideal Life' Vermillion Gallery, Sydney, January 2024
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