Stage (2021) is a painting in which artist Tan Mu reinterprets a film photograph she captured, depicting a theater curtain—an emblematic threshold between reality and illusion. Set against the backdrop of rapid global change and development, Stage captures the performative nature of everyday life, using the curtain as a metaphor for a moment suspended between past and future, concealing the unknown beyond. Echoing the early entertainment industry and its analog methods, the work serves not only as a historical document but also as a meditation on transformation and curiosity about an uncertain future. The closed curtain invites endless speculation, propelling us into an unknown future and a new way of life.

Q: What inspired the painting Stage?

Tan Mu: This work originated from a black-and-white photograph I took about ten years ago, also titled Stage. I later transformed that image into a print and eventually into an oil painting. Moving the image across different mediums allowed me to revisit it from multiple perspectives and uncover layers of meaning that were not immediately visible before. Whether working with film photography or oil painting, I have long been drawn to images of curtains. For me, curtains evoke theatrical theory and the boundary between fiction and reality.

In theater, the curtain plays a critical role. It is both a physical barrier separating the stage from the audience and a conceptual threshold between the real world and a fictional narrative. When the curtain rises, the audience enters a constructed reality. Although the actors are real people, the audience understands that what unfolds is a story. This tension between reality and fiction has always fascinated me, and Stage emerged from that fascination.

Q: Do these choices of medium relate to your academic background?

Tan Mu: Very much so. The process-oriented and multiplicative nature of printmaking allows me to engage with time and repetition, while oil painting enables me to explore material texture and symbolic detail more deeply, particularly the surface of the curtain and the hidden clepsydra. Printmaking has had a profound influence on my artistic practice. I see it as an art form centered on process, layering, and repetition.

Historically, printmaking is closely linked to the evolution of communication. From early woodblock printing to intaglio and relief techniques, each development marked a shift not only in artistic practice but also in how information was disseminated. Printing transformed books into vessels of knowledge and allowed ideas to spread on a large scale. With the rise of digital media, this logic of replication and distribution has entered a new phase. Digital files and online content continue the tradition of multiplicity that defines printmaking. I also consider photography an extension of this lineage, as it captures and reproduces moments in time. By working across these mediums, I bring together tradition and innovation, forming a layered narrative that reflects both historical continuity and contemporary transformation.

Q: You mentioned a clepsydra shaped like an hourglass hidden in the painting. What is its significance?

Tan Mu: In Stage, I concealed a clepsydra shaped like an hourglass to symbolize the passage of time and its uncontrollable nature. It can only be perceived from a certain angle, much like time itself, which is invisible yet constantly present. I placed it behind the curtain to suggest that time flows quietly between fiction and reality. This hidden element adds another layer to the composition and allows me to explore how time operates beneath narrative and appearance.

Q: How do you understand the relationship between theatrical curtains and temporality?

Tan Mu: The theatrical curtain functions as both a spatial and temporal marker. When it rises, a story begins. When it falls, that story ends. This temporal rhythm aligns closely with the symbolism of the clepsydra. Together, they allow me to think about how time shapes narrative and how fiction is structured within temporal boundaries. Through this work, I hope to invite viewers to reflect on the nature of time, storytelling, and the constructed worlds we willingly enter as audiences.

Q: Do you plan to explore this theme through other mediums in the future?

Tan Mu: Yes. The idea of the clepsydra has led me to consider expanding this concept into installation art. I imagine a dynamic installation in which water vapor condenses on a membrane, forming droplets that fall like an hourglass. This process would make the passage of time visible and tangible, while emphasizing its uncontrollable quality. Although this idea is still in the conceptual stage, I hope to continue developing it through painting and eventually realize it as an installation, encouraging viewers to experience time not only visually, but physically as well.