Rose Tang

Rose Tang () is the pseudonym of an ambiguously-gendered, semi-fictional artistic personality based on Taiwanese-born architect, biologist and zoologist Zheng Guoyang, under the art direction of French-born founder of the island6 Arts Center, Thomas Charvériat, and Latvian curator, Zane Mellupe. Over a hundred sculptures, photographs, LED works, and videos have been created and exhibited under Rose Tang's name since his conception in 2006.
Rose Tang is a pillar of the Shanghai art collective, Liu Dao.

Biography

Rose Tang’s “biography” is a mesh of fact and fiction, mostly based on Zheng Guoyang’s life and career. Like Zheng Guoyang, Rose Tang was born in Taiwan. His parents were born in Beijing but raised him in Taipei, putting him through strict schooling and training him as a scientist. He graduated from Tunghai University (zh-tw: 東海大學, Pe̍h-oē-jī: Tang-hái Tāi-ha̍k). However, they could not keep the family’s fulltime photographer from becoming Tang’s artistic mentor, and inspiring a life of courageous innovation in arts that fight to understand how Chinese family culture and shifting sociological values came together to shape modern [...] identities.
Rose Tang currently lives and produces most of his art in Shanghai. People claiming to be Rose Tang have at times appeared at exhibitions containing his work. Often it is a male dressed in women's clothing.

Work and Notable Exhibitions

Like his persona, most of the photographs in his portfolio are somewhat altered from reality. Some are completely crafted of shapes cut from other photographs, while some remain close to their original states except with the face of Rose Tang (Zheng Guoyang) smoothly inserted onto one or more bodies using Photoshop and other morphologist software. The works under Rose Tang’s name come from the notion of a Chinese artist searching for answers to questions of gender in the eyes of Chinese tradition, history, fact and fantasy. Rose Tang's 2010 exhibition at YK Art Space, "Roseless", curated by Zane Mellupe, was inaugurated by Latvian President Valdis Zatlers and attended by the Minister of Culture of Latvia Ints Dālderis as well as Xuhui District Mayor Guo Jianfei 过剑飞 . Rose Tang is represented by island6 Arts Center in Shanghai.

Exhibitions

See also

• Liu Dao, Shanghai-based art collective including Rose Tang.
• island6, art space that founded and sponsorizes the Liu Dao's collective.
• Thomas Charvériat, founder of the Liu Dao's art collective.
• Cai Duobao, member of the Liu Dao's art collective.
• Wang Dongma, member of the Liu Dao's art collective.
• New media art
• interactive art
• video art
• Electronic art
• Digital art
• LED art

fr:Rose Tang