Mabel Anabelle Tan is from the Island City of Singapore and is finishing her last year at Alberta College of Art + Design in Ceramics. Her creative process engages centrally on the community through the physical interaction of clay and our senses. She is the director of the ACAD Community Garden and participates in Archaeological digs in Italy and Singapore. Currently, she is finding great joy in the creating landscapes of fun and curiosities in the Clayground.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Have you wondered why you would make lots of noise when you chomp on an apple in a quiet space? But only to be surprised later that it is in fact the vibrations of sound through your bones (Oh my!). I am amused by the visceral exchanges encouraged between our bodies and materials. My works dances around the awareness that has manifested from our attempts to understand one’s presence/existence, and the connections we share. Clay stands as the gravitational force amidst my negotiations of space and place, cohesively shaping an interdisciplinary environment wherein material evolves into vessels for active play. I find comfort in humour and the absurd, making ambiguous forms that engages the body in an environment. I remain curious in my physical explorations. As my pieces become present in a space, it exists and metamorphoses through perpetual transformations, as if it is inviting you to come and play.

2017/18