Here are artist Siyuan Tan and the curator of his 2-part solo show Chug, Chug Eva Yisu Ren, casually astride two little stools in LATITUDE Gallery’s intimate space in Brooklyn, explaining the thoughts and making behind the exhibition. Curiously, each is holding a mala (a chain of beads) - beads being counted and brought about using the thumbs, one by one, in an un-rushed rhythm as they speak.
When asked, Tan explained to me that the religious connectivity is absolutely nil - he was only seeking something to keep his hands occupied. However, this spontaneous act might have subconsciously revealed what lies at the very core of this well-executed duo of the solo exhibition: exemplifying how a system of a higher rhythmic order can be established as a norm.