TAN Jing (Shenzhen, 1992) obtained her BA in Chelsea College of Art in 2015 and her MA at the Royal College of Art in 2017. Tan is keen on experimenting with textures, materials, and form within sculpture and installation. Her practice combines her expertise in the unpredictable composition of materials and techniques, with her whimsical intertwist of elements from biology and folklore. She often creates scenarios of the surreal striking the viewer aesthetically and psychologically, aiming to make visible and sensible the trauma and solitude of individuals in society, along with the object and space respectively. Her works have been shown internationally in institutions such as HB Station, Guangzhou (2022), Para Site, Hong Kong (2021), Guangdong Times Museum, Guangzhou (2020), Alt Handelsschule, Germany (2018), Spielzeug Welten Museum, Basel (2018), Camden Art Center project, London (2017), and more.Tan currently lives and works in Guangdong, China.

About the work: 

In the fifteenth century, explorers hailing from the Iberian Peninsula harbored a profound yearning for spices to circumvent the impediments posed by the Turkish Empire on their route to Jerusalem. The term "spice" originates from the Latin term "species", denoting valuable yet minute items. Spices have traditionally held an intrinsic role in religious and sacrificial ceremonies, eventually becoming the vortex of colonial trade. Tan Jing’s work conjures an image of her grandfather reincarnated as a dog, his new form unearthing scent and taste memories from a life nestled in the subtropics, thereby unraveling forgotten personal narratives. Tan's grandparents returned to China from Thailand in the 1950s, and she often perceives their struggle with personal identity and their failure to find a sense of belonging. Through herbs and spices, Trancing Lap Hung suggests an alternative way to construct one's self-perception and the enduring impact of migration: olfactory memories.