Strange Planet 2014-1

By Tang-Wei Hsu

In his “Observatory” series, Tang-Wei conceives imaginary organisms from an alternate time and dimension. He creates each organism by morphing together different shapes - some recognizable, some alien. By arranging the morphed entities into groupings that seem to abide by a certain set of rules as determined by the artist, the formations begin to resemble coded texts. To the artist, the act of creating these organisms – born purely out of his own imagination – is a way of actualizing these beings and therefore his thoughts, into the physical world. By having the organisms coexist with the audience in the same and space, they become intertwined in an altered reality that the artist has created for the audience to explore and in turn imagine their own worlds.

Tang-Wei draws his inspiration from anime and architecture and is particularly fascinated by astronomy and the Universe. Tang-Wei’s technique includes emphasizing of outlines and layering flat areas of color to compress space and to create a sense of flatness in his paintings.