Tian Teng is an artist whose practice explores the nuances of daily life and perception. Influenced by her background growing up in China and her experience living in the Netherlands, Teng brings a distinct perspective to the everyday scenes of Dutch life. This cultural contrast inspired the series The Shape of Unseen, in which she orchestrates an interplay of light, composition, and form to capture subtle and often overlooked reflections of the built environment. The concept of reflection takes on dual meanings: literal, as mirrored surfaces bring interior and exterior spaces together, and metaphorical, as these compositions invite viewers to contemplate what they see and what they might overlook.
Her second series, Interact, marks a shift toward a close-up perspective on fragments of contemporary life. This body of work was sparked by a podcast discussion on how Artificial Intelligence struggles to accurately depict human hands. Inspired by this limitation, Teng began painting hands engaged in intimate, everyday interactions with modern gadgets. Together, these two series demonstrate Teng’s dedication to exploring both the visible and invisible forces that shape how we perceive and engage with our world.
