Biography
Jay Tang
Fine art photographer
Jay Tang (1981) is born in The Netherlands to Hong Kong Chinese parents. He was raised with traditional values of the Chinese culture and grew up with the sober and open-minded attitude of the Dutch. The duality and, some times, contradicting nature of both cultures has shaped him as a person and as an artist. ‘Identity’ and ‘Legacy’ have become themes that are influential to his work, especially since he became a father of three.
In 2012, Tang enrolls in the study Photographic Design (Fotografische Vormgeving) at the University of Applied Photography (Fotovakschool) in Amsterdam from which he graduated with honours in 2015. That same year, he was awarded the second prize for his project Son, this is your home at the Keep an Eye Fotovakschool Grant 2015 by the Keep an Eye Foundation, a foundation that acknowledges and supports upcoming talents in the creative and arts sector.
In the following years, he works on a series of abstract photographs, titled Everyday Landscapes, using everyday materials including paper, tissues, plastic bags and their shadows to create landscapes and calligraphy that harkens back to his heritage. The work has been exhibited in metropolitan cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Chicago, Paris, Bordeaux and Hong Kong. In 2020, he collaborates with Anita Neve Galerie, to produce his first solo exhibition.
Over the years he has received various notable, international honours, including Exposure One Awards 2024 Photographer of the Year (Minimalism), 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year (Abstract) and Exposure One Awards 2025 Photographer of the Year (Nude).
Artist Statement
Everyday Landscapes is an ongoing photographic body of work in which I return to the fundamental elements of photography: light, shadow, subject and camera. Working away from the computer-based processes of my graphic and visual design practice, I use photography to work directly with physical materials and their visual presence.
The series originated during my final year of the Photographic Design programme, when a simple exercise photographing coloured paper revealed forms resembling horizons and distant landscapes. This observation led to a progressive reduction of means, eventually focusing exclusively on white, everyday materials such as paper, tissues and cushion filling. Through careful lighting, these materials and their shadows are transformed into abstract landscapes that reference the visual language of traditional Chinese painting.
What fascinates me most about Everyday Landscapes is how the work plays with the viewer’s perception of reality. The images are read through personal reference and expectation, while in truth they depict nothing more than shadows cast by ordinary materials found in the home.
Exhibitions & Achievements
December 2022 • Luxembourg
Awarded the Certifcate of Artistic Achievement by The Pinocothèque for my participation in the international selection of the Luxembourg Art Prize 2022.
May 7 – June 21 2022 • Anita Neve Galerie
Two years after the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Anita Neve Galerie returns with a group exhibition titled ‘Transiency or the Floriade’ to coincide with the 2022 edition of the Floriade Expo. This exhibition is themed on transiency and features work from visual artist Jay Tang, flower photographer Alexandra Wieringa and visual artist Wim Adema.
October 2 – 3 2021 • Amsterdam
After two postponements due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Open Ateliers Amsterdam Noord returns in its biggest form with over 100 visual artists participating in the two-day event.
During OAN 2021, Jay Tang exhibited work that debuted in his 2020 solo alongside his latest work ‘Everyday Flora’.
February 15 – March 22 2020 • Anita Neve Galerie
The very first solo exhibition that documents the journey of Jay Tang’s body of work ‘Everyday Landscapes’, a serie of abstract landscape photographs created with everyday materials, like paper, tissues, plastic bags and even cushion fillings. This exhibition includes the early works that led to the iconic minimalistic black and white landscapes, as well as the analogue experiments.
September 26 – 29 2019 • Groeneveld Castle, Baarn
FINE art & antiques fair is the annual international art fair in and around Groeneveld Castle in Baarn. At FINE 2019 Anita Neve Galerie exhibited work from Gemmy Woud-Binnendijk, Cara Louwman, Christine Mooijer, Nathalie Dekker and Jay Tang.
May 25 – 26 2019 • Amsterdam
The 30th anniversary edition of OAN, the annual art festival of Amsterdam Noord, where local visual artists open the doors to their ateliers to the public to meet, talk and sell.
In this edition of OAN new work in the series ‘Everyday Landscapes’ was shown.
August 22 – October 22 2018 • Anita Neve Galerie
Anita Neve Galerie represented Jay Tang for the first time in 2018 for the ‘Great Heights’ group exhibition, along with other photographers Christine Mooijer, Tony Tangel, Ruud de Jong, Enk Hartveld and Aloys Ginjaars.
May 26 – 27 2018 • Amsterdam
OAN is the annual art festival of Amsterdam Noord, where local visual artists open the doors to their ateliers to the public to meet, talk and sell. In this edition of OAN new work in the series ‘Everyday Landscapes’ was shown.
September 30 – October 1 2017 • Amsterdam
At the 9th edition of the bi-annual local arts festival weekend Noordwaarts, Jay Tang exhibited his works ‘Hikari Revive’.
March 13 2016 • Hong Kong
At the 2016 ‘The Perfect Imperfections’ charity show which debuted the collection of fashion designer Angelle Chang, Jay Tang showcased his works ‘Mountains’ of what would later become known as ‘Everyday Landscapes’.
November 2015 • Amsterdam
The Keep an Eye Fotovakschool Grant 2015 is a collaborative initiative between the Keep an Eye Foundation and the Fotovakschool (University of Applied Photography) to support upcoming photography talent.
Jay Tang presented his upcoming project ‘Son, this is your home’ / 孩子，這是你家鄉 (working title) to the judges, consisting of Ellen Dosse, Theo Audenaerd and Ahmet Polat, in an emotional pitch and was awarded second place of the Keep an Eye Fotovakschool Grant 2015.
His peers Misho Pipercic (‘Bosnian Dreams’) and Annemoon van Hemel (‘Geraakt door water, portretten van dijkgraven’) were awarded first and third prize respectively.
October 21 – 27 2015 • Fotovakschool Amsterdam, Amsterdam
The 2015 edition of the Graduation Show, displaying the 2015 graduation projects by students of the Amsterdam, Apeldoorn, Boxtel, Rotterdam and Venlo branches.
July 3 – 31 • Rotterdamse Schouwburg, Rotterdam
An extended edition of the Double Exposure exhibition, displayed at the 12 meter wide media wall at the Rotterdamse Schouwburg.
April 10 – May 10 2015 • Rotterdamse Schouwburg, Rotterdam
An exchange program between the Fotovakschool in Amsterdam and Rotterdam and the Columbia College Chicago, which resulted in a simultaneous group exhibition of selected students at three locations (Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Chicago).
24 January – 7 February 2015 • Fotovakschool Amsterdam, Amsterdam
In 2015 Jay Tang graduated with the highest honour from the study ‘Photographic Design’ at the Fotovakschool in Amsterdam.
His graduation project ‘Stalker’ was exhibited along with the work of his peers during the ‘Nieuw Licht’ group exhibition.
