China's Largest Solo Digital Art Show Featured Rutgers–Camden Artist

CAMDEN -- A Rutgers–Camden artist who specializes in fusing digital animation onto natural surfaces has returned from China, where his solo digital art show at the Beijing World Art Museum was the largest of its kind in the country. 

Native Chinese artist LiQin Tan, an associate professor of fine arts at Rutgers–Camden, where he directs the animation program, says the show spanned 25,000 square feet and featured an opening ceremony of some 500 guests, including dozens of international media outlets.

“It was the largest solo show of my life,” says Tan, who introduced two new series during the June 2008-Jan. 2009 show titled “Interactive Agricultural Devices” and “Digital Bloodless Installation.”

“‘Agricultural Devices’ explores the past-present changes of Chinese agricultural society through digital animation and interactivity on a winnower, grindstone, and scale,” notes Tan of Cherry Hill.

Also featured in Tan’s Beijing World Art Museum show was his series “Burl+4” - “burl” as in wood, one of the five fundamental elements in Chinese Taoism. In this series, Tan printed his digital artwork onto real wood, which involved dissecting laser printers to do so.

Upcoming shows of Tan’s include solo exhibitions at YuanFeng New Media Art Place in Beijing in June and LaSalle University in December.

His work has also been honored with Best of Show at the International Digital Metal and Art Conference in Orlando; Award of Excellence from Period Gallery in Lincoln, Nebraska; Award of Excellence from Gallery International in Baltimore; and first place in the Digital Art & Animation Competition at the Beecher Center for Art & Technology at the Butler Institute of American Art. 

To view a slideshow of Tan’s Beijing World Art Museum show, click here.

- 30 -