/ Hiromi Tango: Live Studio Visit

On Sat 27 Nov, 2–3pm audiences had the rare opportunity to visit the studio of Hiromi Tango. Previously scheduled as the keynote speaker for the Frame of Mind program, Hiromi has been engaging dynamically at the intersection between art and mental health for over ten years. Gain an inside view into Hiromi’s artistic practice, materials and ideas live from her Tweed Heads studio. Led by National Art School Curator of Public Programs Nadia Odlum.

About the artist

Hiromi Tango has been engaging dynamically at the intersection between art and mental health for over ten years. Drawing on her own experiences of anxiety, the artist’s elaborate installations and performances allow audiences to consider the embodied self, the emotional terrain of our relationships with others, and the healing possibilities of art. She has collaborated with numerous scientists, health professionals and research and research institutions and has exhibited the products of these collaborations both locally and internationally. In both her studio practice and her community engagement projects Tango dedicates herself to exploring how various aspects of the art-making process can contribute to positive mental wellbeing.

Through slow and repetitive action such as wrapping and weaving Tango’s works encourage participants to slow down, and experience enhanced mindfulness through sensory engagement with colour, movement, sound and aroma. By hosting open workshops and community engagement projects she ignites the protective and healing aspects of social connectivity. At times the works employ natural metaphors for physical and mental processes of transformation. For example, Lizard Tail explores the concept of a lizard dropping its tail as a means of separating ourselves from difficult emotions and memories, while Healing Garden projects draw on the healing properties of nature, and the many ways that engagement with flora can contribute to wellbeing.

Tango’s works have been exhibited at major national institutions, including Art Gallery of South Australia as part of the Adelaide Biennale, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery Of Modern Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, and the Ian Potter Museum, Melbourne, as well as regional projects in Hobart, Cairns, Lismore and Western Australia. International projects include a solo exhibition with Sullivan + Strumpf in Singapore and Art Basel in Hong Kong, and a residency and installation with artist partner Craig Walsh for the Gwanju Biennale in Korea. Ongoing projects exploring mental health include collaborations with Dr Emma Burrows, Florey Institute in Melbourne and neuropsychiatrist Dr Patricia Jungfer in Sydney, and the Healing Garden series, a site responsive project that has been exhibited across Australia and internationally in diverse locations including Indonesia, Dubai, Singapore and the United States.

Hiromi Tango is represented by Sullivan + Strumpf

Accessibility

This live stream event will be available with Auslan interpretation and closed captions.

If you would like to download a description of the visual elements of this event, click the button below.