WORKS OF TANG DA WU
Tiger's Whip
Year: 1991
Medium: Mixed media installation
The Tiger Whip was one of Tang Da Wu's most famous works. Tiger's Whip, an installation and performance piece, was first presented in 1991 in Singapore's Chinatown. The object of the piece was to highlight the plight of the endangered tiger which is being hunted down for their penises, which, according to Chinese superstition, make a powerful aphrodisiac. Tang's work shows how traditional beliefs can clash with the reality of the ultimate extinction of the species. The installation consists of ten life-sized tigers constructed from wire mesh and white linen. One of the tigers rests its front paws on the edge of a wooden rocking chair. On the seat of the chair is painted, in red, the symbol of virility in the image of a penis that has been appropriated at the expense of the tiger's life.
Year: 1991
Medium: Mixed media installation
The Tiger Whip was one of Tang Da Wu's most famous works. Tiger's Whip, an installation and performance piece, was first presented in 1991 in Singapore's Chinatown. The object of the piece was to highlight the plight of the endangered tiger which is being hunted down for their penises, which, according to Chinese superstition, make a powerful aphrodisiac. Tang's work shows how traditional beliefs can clash with the reality of the ultimate extinction of the species. The installation consists of ten life-sized tigers constructed from wire mesh and white linen. One of the tigers rests its front paws on the edge of a wooden rocking chair. On the seat of the chair is painted, in red, the symbol of virility in the image of a penis that has been appropriated at the expense of the tiger's life.
Australian Legend
Year: 1992
Medium: Graphite on paper
Size: 112 x 81 cm
Tang's works are often conceptualised through a series of preparatory drawings or sketches. Beyond their function as problem-solving devices in the process of completing an artwork, the drawings also advance or develop notions or themes, whether autonomously or complementing a painting, sculpture or installation. Tang's three drawings, Map of South America, Woman with Snake in a Cage and Australian Legend, while being part of performances and installations, work or their own as drawings endowed with formal and conceptual qualities. Australian Legend is a quickly rendered sketch that evokes a sense of immediacy, though it is not without carefully considered form and design. It deals with subjection and victimisation explored at many levels.
Year: 1992
Medium: Graphite on paper
Size: 112 x 81 cm
Tang's works are often conceptualised through a series of preparatory drawings or sketches. Beyond their function as problem-solving devices in the process of completing an artwork, the drawings also advance or develop notions or themes, whether autonomously or complementing a painting, sculpture or installation. Tang's three drawings, Map of South America, Woman with Snake in a Cage and Australian Legend, while being part of performances and installations, work or their own as drawings endowed with formal and conceptual qualities. Australian Legend is a quickly rendered sketch that evokes a sense of immediacy, though it is not without carefully considered form and design. It deals with subjection and victimisation explored at many levels.