Yangziqi Tan, born in China, completing her BA in East China Normal University in Shanghai. Her work focuses on her own culture specifically, Miao Nationality/group, in her group there are many traditional, ceremonial rituals such as "Climbing Knife Ladders” and “Cross Fire Sea" to name a few. These traditions she holds close and feels they show very brave and powerful spirit representing an unwavering loyalty to love which is romanticized with the idea of danger. This ceremony is part of connecting with the inner self and to collectively gather with the group. Yangziqi feels the importance in portraying the underlying theme of spirituality from her own culture into the modern day and larger audience.
While growing up Yangziqi spent a lot of time with wildlife; goats, cattle, horses in the countryside, She would collect stones, shells, leaves and wildlife matter, always loving to play with these organic materials. This action has led her to place her world in having a admiration, desire and love for the imperfect. Understanding the idea of what is imbedded within these materials, the textures and obscure qualities, they tell stories of life and even previous historical use. Through this, Yangziqi creates a new story in the combination of these materials, utilizing memory and the timeless emotion nature provides us. The works are not considered or labeled as garments since they can be viewed with and without the body, they exist within creative and material right and quotes “The clothes can be viewed as sculptural garments and art pieces which I really see as unisex works.”
Yangziqi is fascinated by the contradiction of working with such organic materials and translating them into ‘experience’ garments, soft sculpture artworks/installations. Referencing not simply the living but what has been and gone, in this way she can involve nature in the most holistic way. She puts the combination of the natural and spiritual world through a tactile but emotional lens to create the essence of a certain powerful fragility. Yangziqi is trying to collaborate with a musician and performance artists to create a gateway into her world. Since what is important for her is storytelling, with having previously studied public art; her ambition was to expand into different mediums such as making furniture and with her latest works referencing the accessories of Miao group, her practice has furthered into ring making which ties another string to the immersion of her creativity.
