The text about Tian Taiquan's works is after Biography
1960
Born in Sichuan, China
1988
Graduated from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, China
Selected Solo Exhibition
2009
Seek and Hide, Tian Taiquan Solo Exhibition, Cultural Arts Museum, Beijing, China
2008
Tears of Eros, England
Truth & Memory, Gibsone Jessop Gallery Canada
Nature, Shanghai, China
2007
Marks, Shijiazhuang Contemporary Art Gallery, Hebei Province, China
A Lonely Studio Story, Singapore
Lost, Chongqing, China
Totem Recollection Pingyao International Photography Exhibition, Pingyao, China
2006
Lethe, Pingyao International Photography Exhibition, Pingyao, China
Lethe, Guangzhou Shenzhen & 501 Art Space, Chongqing, China
Abnormal Feeling, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, China
1986
Concept of Photography, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, China
Selected Group Exhibition
2008
Buy Art Fair, England
Art Asia Miami, Art+Shanghai, China
China Unwanted Girls, NY City, USA
City Crack , Beijing, China
Revert to Asia
Revert to Asia
SH Art Fair, Shanghai, China
Golden Eyes Art Fair 2008, Seoul, Korea
Dialogue 2008 China Image, Beijing, China
Gathering under Olympic Rings, Beijing, China
Kitai Pveriod China Forward, Moscow, Russia
55 days in Valencia, Spain
2007
No Lethe, Beijing, China
Ground Humanism, Beijing, China
Revolution-Reality to Imagination, Beijing, China
Pleasant Sensation of Figures, Kunming, China
China Photography Collections and Exhibition 2007, Beijing, China
China Photography Collections and Exhibition 2007, Beijing, China
Asian International Arts Exhibition 2007, Hong Kong
Perspective with Chinese Artists in Sichuan Fine Arts Institute Exhibition, America
Foreordination and Transcendence Contemporary Photography Exhibition, Singapore
2006
Foreordination and Transcendence Contemporary Photography Exhibition, Beijing, China
First Sign Contemporary Arts Invitational Exhibition 2006, Beijing, China
5×7 Frame Decides the Attitude Biennial, Pingyao International Photography Exhibition, Pingyao, China
Seoul International Media City, Korea
Arts Makes World a Better Place Exhibition, Shanghai, China
Tank from Chongqing Contemporary Arts Exhibition, Shenzhen, China
2005
Between two Riversides Contemporary Arts Exhibition, Pingyao, China
Memory & Truth
It is included in arts of Tian Taiquan's photography for reason of the conception of his works, expressive methods, particular meanings and artist himself.
The photography turned up in 1839, which shocked the position of painting, one of the most influential expressions of reality. The achievement has been regarded as one of the effective influences of modern arts from the fields of industry, technology and culture. Nevertheless the function and purpose of photography has been limited in keeping the record of reality for a long time. To the traditional photographers, the primary means of creation consisted in representing either the subject or feeling by photographic skills and film development technology.
The typical character of Tian's works is transferring "representation" into "creation" by digital technologies including image graft and figurative decoration. It is considerate that Tian Taiquan was not likely to talk too much of the technologies. Nevertheless, it is no denying that the artist's thought is composed by creation and its forms.
The Crack series lay the foundation of the train of Tian Taiquan's artistic thought. In the series, a broken mirror indicated both the conflicts and fractures in social urban lives. The image was centered of an indifferent young lady and bloody nude man. The artist indicated the complicated relationship by sharp comparison of figures, as well as expressed weird and strange feeling by exaggeration and strength.
The value of Tian's works that maximum the weird and strange feeling by the use of photographic elementary grafting. It is also the reason why his achievements go beyond the expression of painting. The feeling was originated from the deviation of the real society that seems could only be established on changing and recreating toward the daily lives. Without the attention of the matching scenery in the past, it could happen to be a sense of fresh and curious emotion only. With the aim of recalling the past and bring the visual impact, Tian Taiquan's works played the role of a documentary recorder collecting all the superb details. Cracks series coordinated the visual experience from both photographic skill and surrealism, put the reality into play then strengthen the visual impact in intensive asking.
At the beginning of 2005, Tian Taiquan started with the subject of red army graveyard in Chongqing. Recollection acts the clue of Tian's works, including Marks, Totem and Legend series. The special background of Cultural Revolution builds up so much highlighted waves in his artistic creation. Regarding to the matters of politics, culture and society, the works of Cultural Revolution were used to be described in a sense of nameless and hesitation. It is in a dilemma that people are reluctant to forget and to hurt of the wound.
The background of Tian Taiquan's works is the graveyard of victims in Cultural Revolution. He was born in the sixty who must have an experience in the troublous times. Of course, it is no doubts that the impression of Tian felt into pieces, even liked a fairy tale since he was only a little boy during the period. The general impression in children's minds of the generation might only be a sea of red, green military suits, glittering badge, and deeply affection of death in sub-consciousness after many years. The artist represented what he experienced because it was quite different from the popular arts in the age when the Cultural Revolution past away gradually. People who have been experienced tried to avoid the painful moment while the younger generation could only weave the leaf of history by stage and media. Therefore, just the death and underworld inspired the imagination of artist.
In Marks series, Tian Taiquan tried to combine with female figures in military uniform, party-colored monument and ruined graveyard in lonely and mysterious atmosphere. The death have been covered in the flowing years, nevertheless the uncertainty of changeable life was strongly expressed by these pale looking, fresh dressing, simple appearance and soulless body. In the eyes of artist, the graveyard plays the role of stage for ghost instead.
It's no denying of the advantages of Tian Taiquan's photography, not because of his usage of highly digital technology, not because of the mysterious atmosphere, even not because of the expression of the truth. In Tian's works, no matter of its crudeness, nudeness, hurts or addiction, the violent visual impact indicated a kind of indifferences by the passengers; such as the dressing woman and the felt man in the Crack series. The way of expression is not only a sense of feeling definitely, when it combines with both meaningful figures and emotional scene. Being as a contemporary occupational artist, Tian Taiquan relaxed his complicated emotion imaginatively and variously in a free space. If the art works truly indicated the feeling of reality and emotion of experience, the recollection of Cultural Revolution by Tian Tianquan reflected the leaf of sub-consciousness in the history. It did not mean right or wrong, but been established in separate situation.
When I was a student in Middle School, I learnt an essay For the unremembered memory by Mr. Lu Xun who remind us of the tiding away pasts. To the scene of Tian Taiquan's works, the existence just lies in the forgetfulness of our changing society. There is nothing the paradox is. In the same way, all the works were originated from the real society, but not the direct reflected of artist's mind, which were more likely his reconstruction of the moments in the history as well as the expression of his own thoughts and desires. It is said that the memory is the most trustless. We spend all our lives to produce our memory continuously, so does Tian's photography.