Charlene Tan, Homage to the Dulays 向Dulays致敬

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Homage to the Dulays by Charlene Tan is an immersive woven installation that celebrates the visual language of Filipinx textiles. Weaving patterns of traditional indigenous Filipinx design are a touchstone and inspiration for the artist. Patterns hold spiritual meanings and are used in ceremonies, each inspired by the maker’s dreams guided by weaving deity Fu Dalo. The iconography in this textile comes from a t’nalak weaving pattern of Lang Dulay—her story and the T’boli community located near Lake Sebu in Southern Philippines. Dulay’s t’nalak narrative in part mirrors Tan’s in that it speaks to diaspora, a multitude of community voices and paths, and a neighborhood with a history of displacement and inequity. As a Filipina-Chinese-American who has worked in the most economically and racially stratified arts sector, Tan makes visible the many Filipino workers who labor behind the scenes, as well as the many Fil-Am artists she has met. Textiles have many uses which range from ceremonial to decorative and provide everyday warmth and protection. Homage to the Dulays speaks to the element of fire by inviting viewers to consider what brings us comfort, protection, and warmth.

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About Charlene Tan

Charlene Tan is an interdisciplinary artist, whose work is thematically focused on the immigrant diaspora and its repercussions, post-assimilation identity, and anthropological investigations of nationalism and cultural heritage. Her work is inspired by her Filipina-Chinese-American identity, reconnecting her artistic cultural heritage of tribal weaving patterns of the Philippines. Using found images by means of digital scanning, these images are edited to pair down to the essence of the pattern.

Once free of scale and color, Tan retraces the patterns to attempt to create a muscle memory of a cultural expression that was once commonplace with her ancestors. Her work has been included in solo and group exhibitions in the US, and is part of several private collections. She holds a BA in History and Theory of Contemporary Art with a focus on New Genres from the San Francisco Art Institute. Born in Houston, TX, she lived in the Philippines before moving to San Francisco for her education and work, and is currently a visiting artist at Minnesota Street Project studios.

 

Charlene Tan 的《向 Dulays 致敬》是一個混合現實與虛擬世界的沉浸式編織裝置，來頌揚菲律賓紡織品的視覺語言。菲律賓原住民的傳統編織圖案是藝術家的標準和靈感。圖案具有精神意義並用於各種典禮，在編織之神 Fu Dalo 的引領和編織者的喜好下，創作出獨一無二的作品。這款紡織品上的圖案是來自於Lang Dulay的t’nalak手工編織圖案- 在菲律賓南部近Sebu湖有一個T'boli社區，Lang Dulay的故事就在這裏開始。Dulay的t’nalak某程度上與Tan的故事相類似，因為講述的都是僑民、眾多社區的聲音和道路，以及一個有著流離失所和不平等歷史的社區。作為一名菲律賓華裔，Tan在經濟和種族階級最嚴重的藝術領域工作，她讓大家認識很多在幕後工作的菲律賓工人以及她遇到的眾多菲裔藝術家。紡織品有多種用途，從儀式到裝飾，並提供日常保暖和保護。 《向Dulay致敬》透過引導觀眾思考什麼是舒適、保護和溫暖，來呼應五行元素中的“火“。

Charlene Tan是一位跨學科藝術家，她的作品主題集中於移民聚居地及其影響、身份同化後的研究、有關民族主義和文化遺產的人類學探索、身份同化以及對民族主義和文化遺產的人類學調查。Tan是菲裔華裔混血兒，她的獨特身份啟發她的創作，將她重新與菲律賓原始部落所編織圖案的藝術文化遺產連接。利用電子掃描找到影像後，進行編輯以配對圖案的精髓。

一旦擺脫了形式和色彩的限制，Tan重新描繪這些圖案，嘗試對於一個文化表述，創造出與生俱來的記憶，這對於她的祖先來説是再平凡不過的表達方式。她的作品曾在美國舉辦個人展覽和群體展覽，亦是很多人的私人收藏之一。她畢業於三藩市藝術學院的歷史與當代藝術理論學系，主修新流派。Tan出生於德州休斯頓，小時候曾經住在菲律賓，後來搬到三藩市升學和工作，目前是明尼蘇達街頭項目工作室的訪問藝術家。