They say art imitates life and in this case it’s true for Dabawenya Mary Anne "Mean" Tan—artist, teacher, businesswoman, traveler, daughter, mother are among the many hats she dons. As an artist, her vivid works are heavily inspired by her daily life, children, and encounters with mother nature’s beauty. Having lived abroad and in the Philippines, her style has been influenced by Western and Filipino dignitaries alike such as Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michael Basquiat, Rodel Tapaya, Charlie Co and Rodney Yap. She may be steeped in the world of contemporary art, she also admires works by classical artists like Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and Amedeo Modigliani.
Although she finds comfort in the use of oil paints, acrylics, watercolors, and graphites, mediums she works with for decades now, she also challenges herself by experimenting with other artistic processes. “I believe that it is essential to break free from traditional conventions and find new ways to express myself,” confesses the artist. At the moment, she has been honing in on her rubbing cutting and printing skills, and looks forward to teaching the technique to burgeoning young artists in the future.
“Beauty surrounds us. We witness it while traveling in distant lands and even in the confines of our own home. However, there are times when we take the luxury of appreciating this gift for granted,” she expresses. Mean will convey this message to her audience in her upcoming 2024 solo exhibition, “Hiraya’t Mga Halimuyak,” at the Patio Gallery of La Herencia Art Space in Davao City, from November 11 to 19, 2024.
The artists will feature a cornucopia of over forty artworks in different mediums including paintings on pots and boxes, prints, and mixed media on paper, Mean allows us to get lost and bask in the charm of the ordinary and be transported to the calm of the everyday.
As one strolls through her exhibit, Mean’s images bear witness to her reverence for nature, her joys from travels, her regard for family, and her vibrant dreams. From the serene coasts of Japan to the blossoming flowers in her garden, interspersed with the friendly faces of loved ones, Mean allows us to remember our own journey and let the scents of life’s imagination flow. Truly, this collection is a celebration of life’s charms and joys.
A teacher at heart, Mean will be imparting her knowledge in the art of printmaking to children on November 16th.
Mary Anne “Mean” Tan is a contemporary Filipino artist born and raised in Davao City. She is best known for utilizing oil paints, acrylics, watercolors, and graphites to create landscapes and figures in her artworks.
Before making a splash in the Philippine art scene, Mean received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Advertising from the College of the Holy Spirit in Mendiola, Manila. In spite of her undergraduate degree, she struggled to find work as an artist and settled for a corporate job in marketing. But in 1993, Mean relocated to Norway and found her artistic dreams and aspirations revitalized.
After the mid-90s, she returned home and shared her knowledge by working as an elementary and high school art teacher. Her summer art workshops were also widely sought after in Davao City. In 2019, she taught college students at Philippine Women’s College of Davao.
If there is anything that she has learned, it’s to expect the unexpected. In her late 50’s, Mean began to pursue a full-time career as a professional artist and for several years now has been active in the Davao art scene. She has produced dozens of artworks in different mediums for art shows, including the prestigious Mindanao Art exhibitions. One of her biggest milestones include her first solo exhibit “Memoirs” in July 2022.
(Also published inn the Manila Bulletin newspaper)
