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Michael Tan

visual artist.
design and new media.

Berlin, Germany



Services:
creative/art direction
3D design and production
generative visuals
graphic design
sound design
visual/concept research


Michael Tan, (B. 1980 Australia) a Berlin-based Australian artist and designer, draws on his half Chinese heritage as a key inspiration in his exploration of liminal, digital spaces through generative, traditional, and emerging technologies.

His practice is informed by kitsch Asian aesthetics, reminiscent of the visual language found in Western Chinese restaurants and Asian markets, intertwined with the immersive narratives of video games, the subconscious imagery of dreams, and the intimate dynamics of personal relationships. This synthesis creates a tranquil yet enigmatic atmosphere, drawing viewers into surreal landscapes that invite contemplation and exploration of both abstract ideas and otherworldly spaces.

Using tools such as artificial intelligence, game engines, real-time data, sound, and 3D animation, Tan blurs the line between the physical and the ethereal. His surreal, meditative creations bridge the tangible and the ephemeral, inviting viewers to explore immersive worlds that transcend ordinary perception.




2024 REEL / COMPILE
A compile of selected works from 2016 - 2024 






TRANCENDENCE REALMS

A digital art series birthed from otherworldly algorithms and procedural technologies, unveiling enigmatic alien worlds. Each piece is a symphony of vibrant hues and intricate forms, conjuring landscapes that defy earthly logic. Fluid, luminescent entities dance amidst fractal terrains, suggesting a harmonious coalescence of technology and the surreal.
These ethereal realms, woven with mathematical precision, invite viewers on a cosmic odyssey, challenging perceptions of the known. The artworks, born from the depths of computational imagination, beckon observers to explore the uncharted frontiers of existence, where the alien becomes a conduit for contemplation and wonder."





PITCH FESTIVAL 2019
Pitch Festival commissioned a video work for their 2019 festival set outside Ararat in the Grampians, Victoria. Artworks where curated by Nic Hamilton.

Other exhibiting artists Joe Hamilton, Lucy Benson, Ezra Miller, Tristan Jalleh and Andreas Nicolas Fischer each made site specific works displayed across the 4 days of the festival.








INSTITUTE OF SOUND AND MUSIC: HEXADOME
The Burial Theme: Trans-Matter Port and Objects
with Constanza Bizraelli aka CAO:

Inspired by ancient Moche iconography and cosmology, the work explores the dualities of life/death, generation/destruction, and cohesion/dispersion cycles and how they appear as two planes constantly transposed onto one another.

The Moche cosmology envisioned certain gates that render the intersections of both planes as a space for events. One of these might be considered the ceremonial or ritual space, a realm in which the distance and division between both worlds would blur.



Immersive 360° exhibition


29 March - 22 April 2018 - Gropius Bau Berlin, Germany
13 August - 2 September 2019 - Mutek MAC Montreal, Canada

More Information
https://berlin-ism.com/
https://www.berlinerfestspiele.de



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