Laurens Tan
Beng Beng (蹦蹦车) Prototype Made in China, 2007
Fiberglass, acrylic, wood, metal parts
Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art
Gift of the artist
2018.01.001

Analyzing cultural signifiers through sculpture, 3D animation and other media, Australian multidisciplinary artist Laurens Tan explores the ways in which language negotiates transformations in a globalizing world. Working out of studios in Las Vegas, Beijing, and Sydney, Tan has participated in residencies and exhibitions at the Museum of Art Seoul National University, S. Korea; University of Chicago (Beijing Center), China; the Murray Art Museum, NSW, Australia; and the City of Sydney’s Chinese Lunar Lanterns Festival, NSW, Australia.

“Beng Beng” is the colloquial name for a three-wheeled taxi common in Beijing. By highlighting the everyday culture of his adopted city, Tan reflects on the stubborn uniqueness of place in the face of global homogenization.