While he promised fire-
breathing piranhas,
unfortunately these ‘didn’t
quite clear Chinese border control’
in time for the first solo opening by
Siu-Hung Tang – aka The Orange
Blowfish – at the Magda Danyz
Gallery. Nonetheless, the relaxed,
sunny affair wasn’t in need of any
theatrics. The elegant space suits
Tang’s hypnotic works in a way that
might seem surprising to those who
are used to seeing his street art on
rough and ready-to-be-
demolished buildings
across Shanghai.
Tang explains that
his most famous Rabbit
Holes series came about
through a desire to
transport the buildings on
which they’re painted to
a safe place. ‘Shanghai
is a city that is constantly
changing; buildings are being torn up
to make way for new developments,
and its original residents are left
with very little. Rabbit Holes
began as a way to leave the local
people with a lasting memory of
their homes, before they were
kicked out and moved on.’
Inspired by his
childhood love for Alice
in Wonderland, and later
student years watching The Matrix on repeat, Tang sees
Rabbit Holes as taking the narrative
one step further, in a hyper-modern
re-telling of a story of ultimate
escapism. ‘I love to see people
stood directly in front of the rabbit
holes staring in to them, as though
they could fall straight into them and
disappear into an unknown land.’
Having moved to Shanghai
eight years ago, Tang now works
as a graphic designer. He says
he felt immediately embraced by
an understanding and
accepting art community.
‘I will always be inspired
by Shanghai, because
it is here that I have
been given so many
opportunities to grow and expand as an artist. I came here with
no real experience, no formal art
education, but I have always found
that with passion and the drive to be
successful, you can get anywhere.’
In his own words, Tang describes
his street art as ‘fast and dirty’, with
his colourful, psychedelic pieces
covering ‘ideal canvases’ of three-
storey buildings, and often being
completed in less than a couple
of hours. He views these personal
works as a cathartic rebellion
against the formalities of traditional
ink painting, yet is enthusiastically
inspired by his life-long admiration
for Chinese calligraphy. ‘Calligraphy
artists elicit complete control within
their work, in the way they hold the
brush, and in the way each stroke
is so purposeful and organised,’ he
says. ‘However, the real calligraphy
masters are able to do this in a
way that doesn’t look at all limited.
Although my work is organic and
relaxed, the lines are organised
within their fluidity.’
