Rosemont Art Advisory Exclusive interview with Fiona Tan, artist and founder of the Artceutical - Medicinal & Transformational Art.
This interview is part of series of artist interview, released every month in our newsletter.
1. What was your inspiration to become an artist? Your main influence? When did you start to paint and what was your catalyst to evolve into healing through art.
I decided I wanted to become an artist while pursuing my bachelor’s of fine art degree at Parsons the New School for Design in New York. Looking back I knew I needed a way to integrate creativity with discovery, psychology, philosophy, wellbeing and science. While studying art history, diverse techniques and mediums, I really found art to be a creative outlet for expressing myself, my thoughts while combining my diverse gifts and knowledge. It also offers a way to entwine my eastern and western heritage and philosophies.
I was holding pencils and brushes as long as I can remember. Being creative has always brought me peace and serenity; an escape to express my imagination and vision. Art is a way for me to heal and subsequently it transformed into a way to heal others. I have certain capabilities since childhood. I can see, feel and connect to energy in a way that most people can’t. It isn’t something I learned, it is something that was always within me. With the years, I first had to hide it, then understand it before I could embrace it. Like Albert Einstein I always thought that: you learn from experience and that everything is energy. Art for me is a journey of self discovery, going down to the essence of things and translating them into visual means. Creating art that can transform energies while translating an experience for the mind, body and soul is the ultimate expression of my passions and interests.
2. Tell us more what is really the purpose of Artceutical art concept and how do you relate it to other movements in art, like Impressionism, Futurism or even Expressionism?
Artceutical Art or Tools for Transformation are the concepts I use to explain my creations. Artceutical is a term I created which mixes art and pharmaceutical; a medicinal and transformational art. Artceutical Art expresses beauty, the divine and a new perspective on the world mixing vision, emotion, energy, science with wellbeing; bridging technology, spirituality, nature and humanity. My Art not only describes an experience, that has been resolved, it also mirrors it to the viewer so that they can benefit from it. Scientists have proven that 95% of your thoughts and actions are determined by your subconscious. Embedded with my abilities, those artworks also work on the energetic fields of people or places to help them realign, by clearing blockages and different form of stressors accumulated over time. This can result in added happiness, flow, balance, wellbeing, peace, serenity, inspiration, productivity… Art that can also enrich and enhance the life of others is much needed in this time and century.
Art movements have always been about breaking up with the rules and visions of past movements. They express a growth and change of angle in the development of society. In the early years, art used to picture divinity, divine power as well as transmitting the codes of society. Through the years it evolved from enriching life with divine inspiration and tales, through the depiction of daily life and human emotions. Impressionism has always been one of my favorite movement. It was the first to go beyond the realistic representation of the world around us by mixing emotions and sensations. Fleeting moments, most often outdoor scenes, were depicted using small brush strokes, vibrant color, in a spontaneous matter to express the impression that was perceived. My works have therefore often be compared to Impressionism 4.0. as in addition using energy, technology, spirituality and philosophy. Expressionism followed Impressionism and used odd angles, sizes to part from reality and convey emotion and meaning. Futurism on the other hand, emphasized speed, technology and industrial subjects. My methodology is a fresh take on impressionism, involving elements of post-expressionism, futurism, cubism and surrealism. I combine different elements that represent my vision and understanding of the world. In every project, I bring to light the cycle of life, a moment of transformation, often represented by a process of decomposition and reconstruction.
3. Who is your favorite artist and what is the last exhibition you saw?
This is a difficult questions, I have a lot of artists I appreciate for many reasons. Instead of choosing one favorite artist, I will have to select three that show different styles and creative ventures. I will start with Monet, which is the artist I have been fond of since an early age. His colors and natural landscapes always give me a dreamy and heartwarming feeling. Leonardo da Vinci fascinates me. He was able to bring discovery to the world, allying study and intuition. To this day, his artworks still emanate mystery, mastery and beauty. Finally Matthew Barney and his mystical, historically and scientifically infused enigmatic vision always intrigued me. I like artists that let you enter into a new world, play with space and different mediums.
I really enjoyed seeing, last year, the retrospective of Zao Wou-Ki at the City of Paris Museum of Modern Art. He is one of my favorite asian artists. I remember attending his show in Hong Kong, back when I was at Parsons the New School for Design, and fell in love with it right away. His work mixes abstraction, philosophy, emotions and natural landscapes. I also love how he embraced western culture and integrated it with his eastern technique.
For more information, please contact Karolina Blasiak, Art Advisor at k.blasiak@rosemont-mc.com
Credit Pictures
1- Fiona Tan
2- Sakura5_95 (2012): Serenity attributes: promoting wellbeing, boost in immune systeme, can help enhance tranquility and harmony - mixed media/acrylic, varnish and glitter powder on an utrachrome print on canvas (50x66 inches)
3- Void Kaleidoscope (2015): Vitality attributes: promoting clarity, peace of mind, concentrating on specific tasks, can help enhance serenity while brainstorming - mixed media/acrylic, varnish and glitter powder on an utrachrome print on canvas (50x80 inches)