TAap - Chuan Xin

Friday 9th March - Monday 2nd April 2012

selected works


Palmer M
84 x 70cm mixed media £750

“I’m Set Free...

My first encounter with those TAap artists was a godsend. It took me out of my lonely wilderness and into the light of comradeship. . .

. . .They were being severely admonished for stupidly spraying a large, public, dead xmas tree black, and whilst they were lovingly coating each needle, a cloud of toxic vibes was to engulf them. That was just a minor reprimand amongst the meltdown that was engulfing their lives, domestic breakdowns, a court case, addictions and financial chaos were providing a rich compost for ideas. The tree ended up being suspended upside down as the crowning glory to the show ‘Possessed Possessions’.

With no money and no hope they fought back creating a series of posters with their own brand of anarchic surrealism and laughed in the face of impending doom. Under the prevailing crises and distorted consumerism of Xmas, they embraced the darkness with the torch of absurdity.

I often break into the studio before they get together. I sit in the rafters just out of eyesight, Ray, my sister likes to come as she has a fancy for them. She says whilst individually they all have impressive attributes, brave and original careers of their own, she finds collectively they could fulfil her, she says they become like one man... tender, brutal, honest, deceitful, strong yet vulnerable.

I love to watch them share their maleness in such a refreshing way, accessing memories that become embellished to enrich their conclusions. I had given up hope, but here are 4 blokes pretending to be artists in a very real way; then they work with a glistening tirade of ideas, that’s so beautiful to watch.

They offer up their drawings like secure children to proud parents. But they relish and encourage each other to tear up and blacken out their efforts. But you should see how tenderly this is done. The results are concluded quickly and easily it’s either good or bad.

I often want to climb down and join them. How would they welcome me? But I prefer to watch.

As Yogi Bear famously said, “You can learn a lot by simply observing”.

Then there were times when we descended after hours and drew in the dark guided by their wet paint.”

Rocket Boy

TAap ‘Team Artists Possessed’
Chuan; literal meaning: Boxing ( in Chinese )
also: ( in Singapore slang ) A form of misguided
entertainment.

TAap is the collaboration of four artists: Richard Ballinger, Sam Bassett, Jesse Leroy Smith and Chris Priest. With an emphasis on narrative and the tangible attributes of paint, each artist contributes to the imagery of every painting and it becomes a layering of experience and a process of alliance.

Most artists claim to be possessed, but we are possessed with our own misguided entertainment. Our past artistic lives are stripped away and a controllable chaos has been installed. With references to art, politics, commercial culture, dark humour and unashamed maleness. All 4 artists attack each poster with immediacy which keeps a unique freshness and sense of mystery. There is an absence of structure only an organic process. A chain reaction between us ensues with a final flurry of ‘word salad’ and blatant messages.

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