In Search for Meaning is the first published book by
artist-photographer Felisa Tan.
This striking collection covers most of her major work for the past
fifteen years, many of which were never published before. Consisting of
seventy-two photographs exquisitely made and sequenced by Felisa
herself, unveiling spellbinding and strange mundane subjects from her
extensive travels and light experimentations at home, she has created a
record of the way she experiences the world after undergoing more than a
decade of evolution as an artist and human being.
Felisa's photographs reflect honest, clear observation, and an intricate
and layered way of seeing, as she watches life unfold itself before her
eyes. Her exceptionally loaded ways of looking at the world are
reflected in her handling of space, composition, synchronized colours,
shapes, and framing, and rather imperfect subjects and places. Common
things--graffiti, carnivals, twilight, lonely scenes, and empty
spaces--are all transformed by her subtle luminous vision into an
extraordinary teacher, filled with ageless Presence and wisdom. The
consistency of her proclivity towards certain kinds of places and
moments of time, and deep insightful rendering of these moments, present
us with an extension of her present tense, reading of meaning, and
judgment of what might be of timeless importance to the readers in every
phase of their lives. Furthermore, with her ability to grasp the little
details that come her way as both an individual and a representative of
a larger human and universal context, this rich compendium of images in
both natural and human settings transport the viewer into the heart of
childlike wonder and a lush infinite Universe.
