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A Floating World: Artist duo Ta Men stage outrageous, surrealist scenes in paint

This bizarre series of artworks by Beijing-based duo, Ta Men (meaning 'They' in Mandarin), combines surrealism, collage and fine art painting for wildly unique results. The collection is due to be exhibited at Beijing's Yang Gallery in January, located in the Art District of the city.

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Surrealist painting by Ta Men showing figures seated at a table in a high-rise cafeteria corner, with a window revealing a Tibetan palace, flying birds, and scattered objects throughout the cluttered interior space

Artists Lai Shengyu and Yang Xiaogang "stage outrageous, surrealistic scenes in paint and photo collage that star an ever-changing cast of characters. Though the scenes always take place on the same fictional “stage”— the corner of a cafeteria-like room in an urban high-rise — the location of the room shifts constantly as the window opens onto new horizons in every image. These collaborative paintings have more than just the two personalities that make them — they may be classifiable as fully schizophrenic.

"An epoch of the late 1970’s generation, They reveal their attitudes towards realities of society and their circumstances in a different approach from the artists of the older generation. They, through interior and conflicting juxtaposition, display a contradictory nature of society that is both corrupt and progressive. However, they do not reject nor express any sarcasm towards the real world seen outside the window. Individuals are merely consuming or entertaining themselves."

Discover more at yanggallery.com.sg.

Via direct submission | All images courtesy of Yang Gallery

Surreal seascape with floating architectural elements, tents and framed objects scattered across choppy blue waves beneath a pale sky
Surrealist painting by Ta Men showing nude figures in a stylised interior room with a cityscape visible through the window and framed artworks on the walls
Framed paintings and portraits scattered across a vast mound of dark fabric beneath a stormy sky, creating a surreal landscape by Ta Men
Surreal painting by Ta Men showing a waterfall landscape with floating artworks, a blue balloon-like sculpture, and objects suspended in turquoise water
Surreal painting by Ta Men showing various animals and figures gathered on floating ice floes in an ocean, with icebergs visible in the background under a grey sky
A figure sits amid scattered corporate logos and brand names in a snowy landscape beneath mountains and stormy skies, a surrealist collage painting by Ta Men.
Surrealist painting by Ta Men showing figures reclining on a red floor in a pink room with artworks on walls, a window revealing an urban skyline with casino-style buildings
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