Music collides with art thanks to performance artist and queen of the toy piano Margaret Leng Tan, winner of one of Singapore’s top award for creatives. The fascinating artist has big plans for this year after suffering a series of setbacks throughout 2016, which included the death of a cherished pet and the loss of a crate containing a number of masks and toy pianos she used for an ongoing tour.
Tan’s performances are renowned for being unconventional. She combines a true virtuosity for piano performance with the use of quirky toy pianos, limiting the grand scale of keys normally available to performers, and she also wears colorful masks and cracks jokes. Tan got her start in toy pianos in the tradition of the performer John Cage, who composed a complicated and beautiful score to be played on the toy piano. When Tan mastered the piece, which was surprisingly complex, she knew that there was something special about the toy piano, and she wanted to pursue it, joking that she’d never had a toy piano when she was young and was currently making up for lost time.
At 71, Tan shows no signs of slowing down. She has put on performances with a number of toy and miniaturized instruments while decked out in elaborate masks. Her newest show will be more serious than usual for the performance artist, and will play tribute to the contemporary works of composer Eric Satie, who was known for creating piano pieces that required stamina and great reach in gym-like stylings. It will be interesting to see how Tan puts her mark — and her compact toy pianos — to use in arrangements that usually span several octaves on a traditional piano. The show will be complemented by a series of readings and video art, providing a full experience for all attendees.
Tan was already an accomplished musician when she stumbled across toy pianos via Cage. But she embraced the art form, saying that she was set free by there being literally no rules to break. No one had ever truly seriously performed using toy pianos, so Tan was free to make her own regulations regarding the art form. Really, her performances go beyond traditional concerts and take on more theatrical qualities, as she shouts and even cries like birds during some of her performances.
Performance art is just one facet of the multitude of genres of art. Explore art in your own life by signing up to take an art class today. Visit SGArtClass.com to see the range of classes available in your area, including digital art, contemporary art, portrait painting, wearable art, and many more. No matter where your interest lies, you will be sure to find an art class to embrace it — along with highly professional teachers on hand to help you develop the skills necessary.
To read more about Margaret Leng Tan’s performance art, go to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/entertainment/singapore-s-toy-piano-virtuoso-margaret-leng-tan-is-back-with-a/3450252.html.