The Generation T honouree describes her transition from being a fashion designer to becoming an artist behind some of the most captivating artworks around Singapore
While you might not be familiar with the name Grace Tan, you would have most likely come across her site‑specific works at Duo, Marina One, Raffles City and the Little India Station on the Downtown Line, and marvelled at their complex geometrical structures. The low‑profile artist has not done much in the way of talks or media interviews, sticking mostly to solo and group exhibitions at museums and galleries such the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) and Fost Gallery in Singapore, as well as the RMIT Gallery in Australia, where she lets her works do the talking.
Trained in fashion design, she honed her creative eye at the now defunct homegrown fashion label, Song & Kelly, but the fast-paced nature of the industry made her question her interest in it. She eventually left in 2003 after four years, and started creating one-of-a-kind clothing made entirely by hand, marking the birth of her own interdisciplinary practice, Kwodrent. Over the years, her wearable art gradually evolved into more ornamental, experimental art pieces, many of which are commissioned work. Her latest installation, n.355 – natural progression, offers her take on Sir Stamford Raffles’ interest in natural history, for an exhibition at ACM to commemorate the Singapore Bicentennial this year.
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