Traces of Time, Echoes of Light 

Concept

Wyn-Lyn Tan draws inspiration from diverse fields such as geology, alchemy, philosophy, and ecology. She takes on the role of an investigator, dissecting her relationship with the natural world through a scientific lens. Influenced by a generation of environmental artists and thinkers, her exploration of materials and space stresses the natural processes and impermanence. Landscapes transform in response to nature’s forces over time; thus, her approach to artmaking often takes on a meditative quality on time and change. Eastern philosophy plays a major role in her work, specifically the paradox of Qi, where life force is both everything and nothing in this world. She subsequently aims to channel energies, emotions, and invisible dynamics in her landscape works, capturing the seemingly invisible forces of energy that surround us. Tan’s interest in this primordial substance is not limited to landscapes but to our perception of nature as well. Her current experiments are an exploration of our complex perception of light, specifically the way certain animals’ iridescent colours are perceived. Peacocks and certain butterflies, for example, contain an inner structural colouration imperceptible to the human eye wherein their exterior structures reflect wavelengths of light. Rather than their feathers and wings containing pigments, this invisible phenomenon occurs, creating visible iridescence.  

Artistic Process 

In the interview, Tan shares her preference of European landscapes in stark contrast to the tropics in Singapore. She was taken aback by the vast, white winter landscapes in her residency in Finland, resembling that of Chinese ink paintings. This realization pushed her to explore the emotions that are evoked in the landscapes of the arctic circle. The experience she gathered from these distant landscapes informed her approach to painting within the fields of Chinese Ink traditions. Furthermore, Tan employs the technique of addition and subtraction – where erasure leaves behind traces of mark-making to subtly and delicately emphasize themes of space and movement. This act of adding and subtracting paint from the painting surface embodies the idea of ‘absence as presence’. 

Tan’s subtle use of light and translucency within her works invites the viewer to meditate on the abstract qualities of space. In relation to her exploration of energy, Tan often paints her landscapes through the process of patina which involves corroding certain metal surfaces to remain open in her choice of materials. Tan emphasizes an open approach to experimentation, and her material choice eventually developed her artmaking process to rely heavily on intuition. This keeps her attuned to the nuances of each material, positioning her artmaking on the grounds of instinct and immediate emotions. Thus, there is an air of happenstance that surrounds her work, guiding her into new directions of artmaking.  

Artworks 

Tan’s artworks are several series that capture her central themes and invite the audience to unravel the subtle narratives within. Her series The Blue of Distance evokes the ideas of distance and perception. Moreover, the feeling of a quiet longing, where the colour blue mirrors the emotional and physical distance from an ever-present yet unreachable horizon, is apparent in this series. In her works like Sea Glass, Adrift, Snowscapes, Arctic Dreams, and Kennd, the theme of ‘absence as presence’ resurfaces. Sea Glass is made with seaweed collected from arctic coastlines, and treated in a way that makes it look translucent. It reflects on the artist’s meditative walks in the Arctic and the concept of fragility in nature. Similarly, Adrift and Snowscapes capture the delicate nature of Arctic landscapes, where a sense of movement and stagnancy go together. Arctic Dreams is a video work that explores themes of isolation, beauty and introspection within the serene vastness of the Arctic. Kennd, translating to ‘known’ in Icelandic, is also a video work on Tan’s reflections on her engagement with Iceland’s landscape, further exploring familiarity and perception in the same landscapes. Each of these works embodies Tan’s immersive, contemplative engagement with place and memory, enabling viewers to interpret her art as both a landscape and a meditation.

Conclusion 

Upon gaining a deeper understanding of Wyn-Lyn Tan’s works, we observe how her countless experiences of immersing herself in natural landscapes have shaped her artistic practice and thought process. Following her intuition, she picks up on experiences commonly unnoticed by the masses such as observing erosion on metal surfaces. Her intuitive explorations led her to discover its use in forming landscapes, becoming a distinctive identifiable trait of the place, she was in. More importantly, these constant observations of nature have allowed her to shift her perception of these occurrences in any place she encounters, including Singapore, where one commonly believes it is a place of urbanity rather than nature.   

Bibliography: 

About - wyn-Lyn Tan (no date) Wyn. Available at: https://www.wynlyntan.com/about (Accessed: 03 April 2025).  

In conversation: Wyn-Lyn Tan (no date) CNTRFLD.ART. Available at: https://cntrfld.art/in-conversation-wyn-lyn-tan/ (Accessed: 03 April 2025).  

Our ocean guide (2017). Hong Kong: Lightbox and MAP Office.  

Wyn-Lyn Tan (2023) Art World Database. Available at: https://artworlddatabase.com/portfolio/wyn-lyn-tan/ (Accessed: 03 April 2025).