Tan Mu 棠 沐 studio@tanmustudio.com
PERES PROJECTS (Berlin, Milan, Seoul) info@peresprojects.com
Tan Mu’s (b. 1991, Shandong, CN) work delves into the interplay of socio-technological history and personal experience, emphasizing the overarching theme of connection and continuity as it reflects our shared human experience on a universal scale. Utilizing microscopes, satellites, and human imagination, her work transcends the boundaries of practical machinery and iconography. By navigating the vast history of human tool creation, the pursuit of truth, and the exploration of the unknown, she intricately weaves these elements into her life and surroundings.
Drawing inspiration from both archival and cutting-edge sources, her subjects range from embryos and neurons to logic circuits, quantum computers, solar farms, submarine cable networks, and space exploration. Her paintings seamlessly integrate technology, biology, and the environment, transitioning between microscopic and cosmic scales. Much like a cave painter depicting the first bow and arrow, Tan Mu’s work bears witness to the process of world-making, where humans shape and are shaped by their surroundings. She evokes curiosity and wonder, re-mystifying familiar images with emotional depth. Viewing technology as an extension of the body and externalization of memory, her work documents the transoceanic transmission of knowledge and emotional bonds. It underscores the expanding collaboration and connection between people, bridging historicity and contemporaneity.
Tan Mu lives and works in the United States. She graduated from the High School of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, in 2011 and received her BFA in Expanded Media from the School of Art and Design at Alfred University, NY, in 2015. Mu has presented solo exhibitions at Peres Projects, Berlin, and Milan (2022). Her work has been shown in institutional group exhibitions, including Zhangzhou Museum, China (2017), Chongqing Museum of Contemporary Art, China (2017), and the International Print Center, New York (2015). Mu’s work was recently on view in a group exhibition at YveYANG in New York.