This May, Frith Street Gallery plays host to not just one, but two exhibitions of Fiona Tan’s work. Side by side, the two shows, Inventory (1 May 2015 – 26 June 2015) Ghost Dwellings (1 May 2015 – 31 July 2015) present different sides of her practice.
Fiona Tan biography
Born in Indonesia, but raised in Melbourne and trained in Amsterdam, Tan’s work deals with the nature of representation and how we perceive ourselves. She works principally with photography and film, and often collaboratively. Always meticulously crafted, Tan’s work is intensely human in its exploration of history, time and mankind’s place in both.
Frith Street Gallery | Golden Square
Filmed at London’s John Soane Museum, Inventory offers an intimate glimpse into the cherished Lincoln's Inn Fieldspublic institution. Details of its packed interiors, bursting with ancient architectural fragments are projected on a montage of six unevenly displayed screens.
It is an idiosyncratic meditation on an idiosyncratic institution. Examining the human impulse to collect and categorize, Inventory challenges the viewer to ponder modes of representation and the deliberate shaping of history.
Frith Street Gallery | Soho Square
Probing bleaker territory, Ghost Dwellings transforms the gallery at Soho Square into something resembling a lived-in space. It feels like the dwelling of an eccentric recluse. The absent resident is clearly both chaotic and obsessive, and their unseen presence permeates the gallery.
You’ll also discover three newly commissioned films, which spotlight decay and devastation in three radically different locations. Detroit is seen in its bankrupted demise, Cork in the wake of the 2008 financial crash, and Fukishima in the aftermath of both natural and manmade disasters. The projected images are haunting, but offer hints of optimism beyond the carnage as Tan’s lens searches the rubble for seeds of new life.
It is unusual for an artist to occupy both Frith Street Gallery spaces, but Tan’s major installations offer a compelling argument for why.
Fiona Tan biography
Born in Indonesia, but raised in Melbourne and trained in Amsterdam, Tan’s work deals with the nature of representation and how we perceive ourselves. She works principally with photography and film, and often collaboratively. Always meticulously crafted, Tan’s work is intensely human in its exploration of history, time and mankind’s place in both.
Frith Street Gallery | Golden Square
Filmed at London’s John Soane Museum, Inventory offers an intimate glimpse into the cherished Lincoln's Inn Fieldspublic institution. Details of its packed interiors, bursting with ancient architectural fragments are projected on a montage of six unevenly displayed screens.
It is an idiosyncratic meditation on an idiosyncratic institution. Examining the human impulse to collect and categorize, Inventory challenges the viewer to ponder modes of representation and the deliberate shaping of history.
Frith Street Gallery | Soho Square
Probing bleaker territory, Ghost Dwellings transforms the gallery at Soho Square into something resembling a lived-in space. It feels like the dwelling of an eccentric recluse. The absent resident is clearly both chaotic and obsessive, and their unseen presence permeates the gallery.
You’ll also discover three newly commissioned films, which spotlight decay and devastation in three radically different locations. Detroit is seen in its bankrupted demise, Cork in the wake of the 2008 financial crash, and Fukishima in the aftermath of both natural and manmade disasters. The projected images are haunting, but offer hints of optimism beyond the carnage as Tan’s lens searches the rubble for seeds of new life.
It is unusual for an artist to occupy both Frith Street Gallery spaces, but Tan’s major installations offer a compelling argument for why.
| What | Fiona Tan, Frith Street Gallery |
| Where | Frith Street Gallery, 17-18 Golden Square, London, W1F 9JJ | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Piccadilly Circus (underground) |
| When |
01 May 15 – 31 Jul 15, Tuesday to Friday 10am—6pm | Saturday 11am—5pm or by appointment |
| Price | £Free |
| Website | Click here for more details |
