Tang, born in a family of theatre in Yunxiao, Fujian in 1969, now lives and works in Hangzhou. In his works, core topics like mythology and poetry, nature and society, time and life were discussed. From the perspectives of cultural research, sociological survey and life experience, Tang kept on creating the main images of “oceans”, “mountains”, “rivers, “fishermen and woodcutters”. In recent years, Tang Nannan explored human emotion and the mental world and reflected on the possibility of Chinese traditional thought in contemporary life, through the experiences of the characters in the journey and the choice between responsibility and seclusion, and between faith and transcendence. Tang’s works integrated multiple methods, including painting, photographs, animation, voice and multi-screen video theatre, and he was trying to display the reflection and observation in a multi-dimension through cross-media arts.
His solo exhibitions include: Billennium Waves, Beijing Minsheng Art Museum (2016); A Boat Almost Waking, Advance Art Museum, Changsha (2019); Yellow River and Blue Mountains – Tang Nannan Solo Exhibition, Hanshan Art Museum, Suzhou (2020). He also has participated in joint exhibitions, such as: the 9th Shanghai Biennale Zhongshan Park Project, Power Station of Art, Shanghai (2013) and Continuum of the 57th International Exhibition of Art of La Biennale di Venezia – China Pavilion (2017).