Masters of Art
video
flexible size
Gina Peyran Tan
Gina Peyran Tan’s video work “Masters of Art” merges critical discourse with a contemplative exploration of human experience through the lens of power dynamics, freedom, and the varied spectrums of emotion. Her practice in video art, underscored by her education at the Royal College of Art, allows her to navigate complex narratives over time, influenced by her study of Eastern and Western philosophies. Her work, characterized by its engagement with found footage, amplifies elements of authenticity and amateur production, anchoring her critical perspectives within accessible mass culture.
Tan’s approach positions her within a historical lineage of video artists who use the medium not just for its aesthetic value but as a tool for social commentary and philosophical inquiry. Her engagement with video art is as much about the message as the medium, creating works that resonate on both personal and collective levels, reflecting the chaos and intricacies of contemporary life.
Masters of Art takes on a rejective tone as a means of self critique, alongside a critique of the arts industry and the Salon de Refusée exhibition may very well be the best place for such a discourse.
To engage within the contemporary art sphere today, artists takes much risk – the art world like our capitalist societies thrives with the 1%. It is in this form that artistic intelligence begins a kind of fragmentation, as artists takes on the grueling process of validation-rejection dichotomy, sucked into the machination of the art industry. The wired society in which artists presents work keeps us further bound in this process.
So what should artists do? As with the climate emergency, we need to rethink industry norms starting with educational institutions.
In an attempt to wrest power from the upper echelons of society, insitutions were tasked to make art accessible to all, and in doing so, institutions in and of itself became the very thing it was to get away from. Arts can best serve the public when it remains at the grassroots where artistic integrity can stay intact. Not all growth are healthy, as it’s evident in our planet’s critical health. And in the very end, as it is exemplified in Masters of Art, our actions today can no longer be sustained. There has to be a rethink for new possibilities placing our planet at the priority.– Gina Peyran Tan
SALON DE REFUSÉES
The "Salon de Refusées" is an art initiative inspired by the historic 1863 Paris exhibition. It's a platform celebrating female (read) artists who've faced rejection, turning exclusion into empowerment. Our project is dedicated to showcasing art in its most authentic form, creating a space where diverse voices and stories are seen and revered. Join us in this artistic uprising, where each piece adds to our resilience and the unyielding spirit of creativity.