Shao Qi Tan’s studio practice is a material-driven investigation of the fragile yet enduring nature of porcelain. The whiteness, luminosity, and translucency of the material reflect notions of fragility and impermanence in the ever-changing landscape. Her designs record the delicate tension between strength and fragility, referencing the structural resilience found in man-made and natural worlds.
7 O’Clock — the moment sunlight filters through the trees, Shao Qi Tan, Hanging Installation, Porcelain, Flux, Dimensions Variable, 2022
To make visible the unseen changes of local flora in the urban landscape, Tan's works emulate naturally occurring processes that are often immaterial and overlooked. The recurring motifs of common weeds, wildflowers, and wayside plants are drawn from her immediate surroundings, as she examines and collects naturally found objects on-site. Her material research and techniques embrace the inherent properties of porcelain and raw materials to develop sustainable alternatives.
7 O’Clock — the moment sunlight filters through the trees, Shao Qi Tan, Hanging Installation, Porcelain, Flux, Dimensions Variable, 2022
In Flux: Between Clay and Glaze is a material research that blurs the lines between the glaze and clay body. The design objective is to preserve a state of flux, with an instantaneous movement between fluidity and solidity. Through the addition of flux, alumina, and heat, a range of viscous sculptural glazes and self-glazing porcelain bodies have been developed, forming a glass-like material, a pool of glaze, pearl droplets, and a crackle effect.
Dew — fallen leaves floating on water, Shao Qi Tan, Floor Installation, Porcelain, Flux, Dimensions Variable, 2022
To identify innovative and sustainable alternatives, Tan’s work embraces the inherent properties of porcelain and raw materials. Her experimentation with minimal materials pushes the limits of porcelain and reveals new possibilities for the hybrid medium that lies on the boundary between clay and glaze. She redesigned the press-molding technique to reduce the amount of clay, producing thin low reliefs of leaves with delicate openwork structures.
Dewdrops, Shao Qi Tan, Wall Installation, Flux, Dimensions Variable, 2022
The collection is a series of sculptural porcelain installations: wall, floor, and hanging, that reflect the quiet and fleeting hybridity of light and nature. It highlights nature in a state of flux, emulating the transient qualities of sunlight filtering through trees, fallen leaves on water, and dewdrops. The space is designed for viewers to immerse in a quiet experience, slow down and observe the fleeting moments found in the mundane.
About Shao Qi Tan
Shao Qi Tan (b. 2000, Singapore) is an artist and ceramic designer based in London and Singapore. She graduated from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London with First Class Honours in the Bachelor of Arts: Ceramic Design.
Tan’s design collection is a series of sculptural porcelain installations: wall, floor and hanging, that reflect the quiet and fleeting hybridity of light and nature. Her work has been exhibited in Singapore, London, New York, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Taiwan. Her recent participation includes NYCxDESIGN: Design Transforms Borders, Ceramic Art London 2022: Future Experts and Thames Festival Trust: Muddy Mudlarks. She has worked on projects with Kohler Co., Overseas Singaporean Unit MCCY, and most recently designed an installation commissioned by Louis Vuitton.
She is the recipient of the David Marshall Scholarship for Young Artist, the William Atkinson Scholarship, the FRANZ International Porcelain Design Scholarship and the MullenLowe NOVA Award. In 2021, she was listed in FEMALE Magazine’s 10 Emerging Talents Bringing A Fresh Perspective To SG’s Creative Scene.
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