ARTIST PROFILE
It is hard to discuss the topic of wire sculptures in Singapore without bringing up the artistry of practising sculptor, Victor Tan Wee Tar (b. 1969).
Victor’s obsession with wire dates back to his time at LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts in 1995, where he was specialising in Ceramics. A passing comment from one of his lecturers pushed him into dabbling with wires. This shift in mediums would later birth the ethos of the work that we know him best for—sculptures revolving around birds, horses, and human figures, with an emphasis on filial dynamics, physical touch, and symbols of ascension.
Since his early days of working with wire, Victor has cultivated an exemplary set of weaving techniques which he uses to explore existential concepts about, “humanity, the isolation of the human emotions in the moment, and through the passage of time and life.” For him, sculpting functions as an outlet to explore and process the constant movement and changes in the world around him. It is also through a reflection of these variables that inspire him with new creative possibilities.
Victor’s earlier twinings with wire sculpting acted as a creative outlet for him to work through his anxieties and traumas. During this period, artmarking for him became synonymous with, “healing, seeking happiness, contemplation, and finding meanings in life.” As he progressed with his artistic practice, he became more perceptive about the emotional needs of the world, and drew inspiration from his feelings and interactions with people.
While tuning into his radio back in his Telok Kurau studios, Victor’s artmaking process sees him contemplating life and grappling with the frustrations that come along with the same, against the backdrop of the various conflicts happening around the world. Here, he responds to the juxtaposition between the calm introspective contemplations of human life and the frustrating philosophical dilemmas presented by the world.
After graduating from LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts, Singapore with a Diploma in Fine Arts (Ceramics) in 1997, Victor went on to receive his Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts (Sculpture) at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia (RMIT) in 1998. Over time, his techniques in wire sculpting solidified, and he received The Commonwealth Arts & Crafts Award, presenting him with the opportunity for a six-month residency in London. His works have been collected and showcased in private and public spaces, such as the Asian Civilisations Museum, Sentosa, as well as schools and hospitals around Singapore. Victor has also been actively participating in both solo and group exhibitions locally and internationally. Some of them are, Explorations at Copenhagen Business School, Denmark (2010) and the recent Light to Night Festival, Singapore (2024).
CONTRIBUTORS
- Chua Jay Mong
- Julia Looi Yik Chieh
- Krystal Choo Lin Ying
- Law Min Jun
- Mirza Zuhairi Bin Zulkifle
- Yu Jia Hui
The Head Project (2013 - ongoing)
The Head Project is a hanging wire sculpture residing in Victor’s Telok Kurau studio. While its textural construction resembles an erratic web of wires, the sculpture as a whole takes on the appearance of a large head, complete with an opening for viewers to enter, perch, and ponder. As contemplation within the sculpture is highly encouraged, the work functions as a safe space for viewers to connect on both a physical and emotional level.
It is also in The Head Project that we see Victor embrace the outreach of social media in spreading his passion for human connection, faith, and love. On top of having viewers interact with the sculpture physically, he proposes that they describe their feelings out loud and have their ruminations filmed and shared onto his social platforms. These thoughts could be closely related to the work itself, or even just how someone might be feeling that day.
As one situates themselves within an evidently head-shaped sculpture, they would naturally think of their own head and/or anything adjacent to it. On a metaphorical level, the head can represent a hub of one’s thoughts, emotions and memories, in which, the perpetual flow of these elements can leave one feeling disorientated at times, and tranquil at others.
The Hug Project (2023 - ongoing)
The Hug Project is a collection of artworks that serves as a continuation of the Love series, exploring the theme of touch. Based on Victor’s research on our growth as humans starting from young, the environment and the people that we grow up and surround with plays a huge role, highlighting that parental love is needed to nurture our growth.
This features a set of wire sculptures depicting infants with their arms stretched out. With this work, Victor wishes to express how he feels the world is in need of more love and care, and to remind viewers that they are not alone in this world. Visitors are also invited to physically interact with the sculptures, further emphasising on the theme of touch.
Rapture (2024)
As part of the Light to Night Festival (2024), Rapture takes its place in the Padang Atrium of National Gallery Singapore. Hanging heavenly bodies in wire mimic the appearance of ascending to the heavens, like in the interpretation of the biblical rapture where new bodies await in the end times. The installation consists of eight live-sized wire bodies in restful surrender with a ninth wire body situated in a thinking position. Whilst installing the work at the gallery after hours, Victor and his team worked arduously throughout the night focusing on the placement of the bodies and how those placements would affect the lighting, as well as the view of the work from different gallery levels. With a purposeful use of light and shadows, the shadows casted by the bodies onto the floors of the gallery space allow the presence of the work to be felt both tangibly and intangibly.
Victor invites the viewer to contemplate the human ability to transcend realms and believe in a brighter, more compassionate reality awaiting us beyond the horizon.
Conclusion
Something that each of Victor’s works share in common is the concept of the internal and the external. Though, rather than presenting these two ideas as completely separate entities, he presents the internal and external worlds as relational beings consequential to one another. This concept is prevalent from the intentions behind his works—to encourage people to be more conscious of the world around them, how they are directly affected by the world, and how they can create positive change in their own ways. Values in regards to human touch, self-reflection, and staying true to one’s faith and self, will continue to be relevant to society (especially in the digital age) and his works, driven by those themes, will continue to be relatable to whoever assesses them.
References:1 Tan, V. (no date) Victor Tan, Victor Tan Wee Tar. Available at: http://victortanweetar.com/ (Accessed: 08 February 2024).