Chooc Ly Tan
multidisciplinary artist/DJ/music & cultural producer
Staff details
Chooc Ly Tan is a multi-disciplinary artist, DJ, music & cultural producer who works across moving images, DJ sets, radio podcasts, event organising, and club nights. With a background in sculpture and performance. Her practice sets out to create new visions of reality by subverting or repurposing systems and tools we use to understand the world around us – such as concepts and methodologies from physics, politics and music. Often, Chooc Ly draws attention to power imbalances, using video and sound as mediums to find an experimental cadence within the personal histories, found footage, and political undertows that inform and inflect the Afro-Asian diaspora, in the face of on-going colonialism(s). Her recent film commission On The Offbeat (2021) explores those disruptive and productive moments of suspension that surround syncopation, tracing the significance of the offbeat through Vogue Fem, diasporic rhythms, critical theory, and insect behaviour.
Academic qualifications
- MFA Fine Art, Goldsmiths university of London 2011
- BA Fine Art (hons) in 3D (sculpture), Central Saint-Martins 2006
Featured publications
2023:
The Dark Preview, vol.5, The Urban Night Project
Pamphlet: with texts & artwork by Rut Blees Luxemburg, Casper Laing Ebbensgaard, Lo Marshall and Nick Dunn and Chooc Ly Tan.
2022:
Art Monthly: Syncopes, Tess Charnley
Article: review of the group exhibition featuring Chooc Ly Tan, Himali Singh Soin, Lala Rukh, Mira Calix, Ruth Beraha and Qian Qian. Curated by Daria Khan.
2021:
Vdrome, interview: Chooc Ly Tan "On the Offbeat"
Interview with an introduction by Andrea Lissoni (vdrome, HdK) "What are communities made of? [...]"; followed by curator Daria Khan interviewing artist-filmmaker Chooc Ly Tan.
2021:
Art Monthly: Chooc Ly Tan "Crepuscular Dreams of (dis-)Alienation
Article: review of Chooc Ly Tan's solo exhibition at Banner Repeater, by Tabitha Steinberg
2020:
British Journal of Photography: Hi-noon carves out a new online space for artists & collectors
Article: curated platform Hi-Noon presents their work with Alix Marie, Rut Blees Luxemburg, Sophy Rickett, Chooc Ly Tan amongst other artists.
Grants and awards
2024:
Project Grant, Art Council England
For my curatorial work with Décalé, in collaboration with The Yard Theatre, Leïla Arénou and Kadeem Oak
2024:
Fluxus Art Projects
For my curatorial work with Décalé, in collaboration with The Yard Theatre, Leïla Arénou and Kadeem Oak
2023: The Yard Theatre Residency
2020: DYCP award, Arts Council England
2011: Startpoint Prize, nominated by Goldsmiths university
Publications and research outputs
Show/Exhibition
- Décalé Tan, Chooc Ly. 2024. Décalé. In: "Décalé", The Yard Theatre, London, United Kingdom, 18 April 2024.
- Décalé X 144 Tan, Chooc Ly. 2023. Décalé X 144. In: "Décalé X 144", The Yard Theatre, London, United Kingdom, 1 June 2023.
- We Teleport And Dance Tan, Chooc Ly. 2023. We Teleport And Dance. In: "Cities of the Night: The Royal College of Art at RIBA (2023 London Festival of Architecture)", RIBA, London, United Kingdom, 1 June - 29 July 2023.
Performance
- Monsoon Temperament (AV performance) Tan, Chooc Ly. 2023. Monsoon Temperament (AV performance). In: "Wandering Salon, unthaitled", Heizhaus Uferstudios, Berlin, Germany, 8 October 2023.
- YOU MAKE ME FEEL (performance) Tan, Chooc Ly. 2023. YOU MAKE ME FEEL (performance). In: "THE VOICES OF A TEMPEST | ACT III", Somerset House Studios, London, United Kingdom, 18 March 2023.
- Climate Crisis >> Art Action Takeover Tan, Chooc Ly. 2023. Climate Crisis >> Art Action Takeover. In: "Climate Crisis >> Art Action Takeover", Whitechapel Gallery, London, United Kingdom, 2 March 2023.
Conference or Workshop Item
- Panel: “Decolonising Queer Artistic Space and Practice: Critical Dialogue with Asia-Art-Activism” Tan, Chooc Ly; Cheuk-Yin Li, Eva; Allison, Yarli; Chow,, Whiskey and Lam, June. 2023. 'Panel: “Decolonising Queer Artistic Space and Practice: Critical Dialogue with Asia-Art-Activism”'. In: Decolonising Queer Artistic Space and Practice: Critical Dialogue with Asia-Art-Activism. Online, United Kingdom 31 May 2023.
- Chooc Ly Tan, artist's talk Tan, Chooc Ly. 2023. 'Chooc Ly Tan, artist's talk'. In: Slade Contemporary Art Lectures 2022-2023. Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, United Kingdom 17 May 2023.
- Chooc Ly Tan, artist's talk Tan, Chooc Ly. 2023. 'Chooc Ly Tan, artist's talk'. In: Artist’s talk, Chelsea College of Arts. Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London, United Kingdom 2023.
Art Object
- Rêve, Rave et Révolution, 2019 Tan, Chooc Ly. 2019. Rêve, Rave et Révolution, 2019.
Article
- Looking into People’s Eyes Tan, Chooc Ly. 2021. Looking into People’s Eyes. Ying Xiang 映象, 1,
Audio
- Chinabot w/ Chooc Ly on Radio Alhara - 28.03.24 Tan, Chooc Ly. 2024. Chinabot w/ Chooc Ly on Radio Alhara - 28.03.24.
- ONY w/ CHOOC LY 22.03.23 on NTS radio Tan, Chooc Ly. 2023. ONY w/ CHOOC LY 22.03.23 on NTS radio.
- EASTERN MARGINS with GGI on NTS (feat. LARASATI & CHOOC LY) - 4th February 2022 Tan, Chooc Ly. 2022. EASTERN MARGINS with GGI on NTS (feat. LARASATI & CHOOC LY) - 4th February 2022.
Book
- YES / NO NO/YES Tan, Chooc Ly and Nalin Kumar, Rishi. 2013. YES / NO NO/YES. London: Flat Time House.
Composition
- Coeur Bioluminescent Tan, Chooc Ly. 2023. Coeur Bioluminescent.
- Exaltation Onirique Tan, Chooc Ly. 2022. Exaltation Onirique.
Film/Video
- On The Offbeat, 2021 Tan, Chooc Ly. 2021. On The Offbeat, 2021.
- Crepuscular Dreams of (Dis-) Alienation, 2018 Tan, Chooc Ly. 2018. Crepuscular Dreams of (Dis-) Alienation, 2018.
Other
- Label of the Month: Chinabot Tan, Chooc Ly. 2021. Label of the Month: Chinabot. Resident Advisor.