During her time in New York City amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Tan Mu witnessed a profound transformation of the urban landscape. The painting Isolation (2020) captures the construction of a temporary hospital at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in March 2020. Traditionally a venue for major events such as the International Auto Show, Art Fair, Functional Fabric Fair, and Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo, this 840,000-square-foot facility was swiftly repurposed as a makeshift hospital in response to the devastating effects of the Coronavirus outbreak. Tan Mu uses black-and-white monochrome to document this moment of crisis, focusing on the shift in function of urban spaces during such a specific period. Through this transformation, Tan Mu reflects on the changes of our era, offering a meditation on the physical and emotional isolation that emerged in the wake of the global pandemic.

Q: What inspired you to create Isolation?

Tan Mu: Isolation was inspired by the dramatic transformation of public space during the pandemic, particularly the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Originally built to host large-scale exhibitions, it was converted into a temporary hospital to respond to the urgent need for medical facilities. This shift revealed not only the shortage of healthcare resources but also the fragility of life during a global crisis. Much like an exhibition hall, the temporary hospital was divided into individual units, but instead of encouraging openness and interaction, it was defined by white curtains separating patients in isolation. The contrast between an exhibition space designed for communication and a medical space structured around separation reflects the tension between connection and disconnection, a theme that has long been central to my work. During the pandemic, this tension became especially visible as physical and emotional distances between people were amplified. After the pandemic, I participated in the Armory Show, which was held at the same Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Although Isolation was not the work exhibited, returning to that space felt like a continuation of my artistic investigation. The building itself had accumulated layers of history, and my work became a way of recording the transformations it had undergone. This experience reinforced my commitment to making art that responds to societal change and situates itself within a specific moment in time and collective memory.

Q: What visual language did you use to express this moment?

Tan Mu: I used color and composition to emphasize the contrast between the two identities of the space. The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is often associated with the idea of a white cube, a neutral environment typical of commercial exhibition spaces. During the pandemic, however, this whiteness became a symbol of isolation rather than communication. In the painting, I adopted a black and white visual language and divided the composition into two sides. White curtains on both the left and right frame a central corridor that recedes into a black point at the center of the image. This vanishing point creates a strong sense of confinement and disconnection, reflecting how an open public venue was transformed into a space of solitude. The absence of color reinforces the somber atmosphere, stripping the scene of vitality and echoing the emotional weight of isolation experienced during that time. Through this approach, a space once designed for interaction becomes visually and psychologically closed.

Q: By removing color from the image, you evoke a specific atmosphere. How do you see color, or the absence of color, functioning across your broader body of work?

Tan Mu: In many of my works, I deliberately explore monochrome painting, using black and white to remove color and create a sense of distance from everyday reality. This choice serves different purposes across various themes. In works related to space and technology, such as Peek (2021), which depicts humanity’s first view of Earth from space through the V-2 rocket, or DEC’s PDP-10 (2021) and Blue Box (2021), which reference milestones in computing history, black and white reflects the technical and historical origins of the imagery. In works like Bikini Atoll (2020) and Trinity Testing (2020), which draw from archival documentation of nuclear experiments, monochrome reinforces the gravity and severity of those historical moments.

Beyond documentation, I also use black and white to sharpen focus on emotional and conceptual themes. In works such as Torus (2020, 2021), Yoga Isolation (2021), and Isolation (2020), the absence of color directs attention to feelings of emotional distance and physical separation, particularly during the pandemic. The muted tones create an atmosphere reminiscent of early science fiction imagery, amplifying the sense of estrangement. In more abstract works like No Signal (2019) and Off (2019), black and white visually echo the static of lost signals, reinforcing ideas of technological and psychological disconnection. Removing color allows the imagery to feel timeless and concentrated, enabling viewers to engage more deeply with the underlying ideas rather than surface aesthetics.

Q: How did your personal experience of isolation during the pandemic influence the themes and execution of your work?

Tan Mu: In March 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, I began working from home as social distancing limited physical contact and communication shifted almost entirely online. This period of isolation prompted me to reflect deeply on disconnection and its effects on human relationships. During this time, I created a series of works that explored personal, social, technological, and public health themes. These included pieces such as Philadelphia (2020), Minneapolis (2020), Thermal Imaging (2022), and Touch (2022), which respond to social events and technological mediation, as well as works like Isolation (2020), A Sunday Afternoon in the Park (2022), and Yoga Isolation (2022), which reflect on public spaces and the routines we adopted during lockdown. I also explored medical advancements, such as vaccines, in Vaccine (2021).

These works allowed me to document and process the period we were living through while maintaining a creative practice grounded in care for humanity. Through layered and multidimensional depictions, I aim to evoke both connection and disconnection, reflecting the contradictions of that time. This approach aligns with my broader practice, which seeks to observe, record, and respond to pivotal moments in history, whether through technology, collective events, or everyday life.