Tang Tan 唐坦 (Tank)

Qiu Anxiong, artist

born 1972

Tang Tan 唐坦 (Tank), 2008

Portfolio/Series title: Xin Shanhai Jing 新山海经 (New Book of Mountains and Seas)

Where object was made: China

Material/technique: rice paper; woodcut

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 420 x 500 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 16 9/16 x 19 11/16 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 497 x 577 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 9/16 x 22 11/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 32 x 24 in

Credit line: Museum purchase: R. Charles and Mary Margaret Clevenger Art Acquisition Fund

Accession number: 2009.0111.05

Not on display

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Label texts

Temporal Turn: Art and Speculation in Contemporary Asia

This print portfolio suggests a traditional Chinese book, but depicts the fantastical creatures featured in chapter one of Qiu Anxiong’s video trilogy The New Book of Mountains and Seas. Each of the bizarre creatures is accompanied by an inscription using archaic terminology and composed in classical Chinese that simulates the Shanhai Jing, a second-century geographic text describing strange creatures in distant lands, upon which the name of the video trilogy is derived.
Tank (唐坦, Tang Tan)
There is a creature living in the Land of the West. It has the head of an elephant and the body of an ox; however, it does not have feet. Its head grows upon its back, and its body is covered in strong armor. It marches on its belly at a fast speed. Its nose is straight and can spit fire. Its name is Tang Tan [Tank].

Exhibition Label:
"Qiu Anxiong: New Book of Mountains and Seas," Feb-2010, Kris Ercums
Inscription:
There is a beast in the Western lands with a body like a bull with no feet. Its head is connected directly to its back and its back is covered in armored scales. It moves rapidly on its stomach, and its straight snout erupts fire. It is called the Tank.