Counter Weight – Show Report

06/08/2022

Our show closed this past Sunday, and it’s taken me a few days to digest what we’ve accomplished. I wanted to take this space to celebrate our wins and contemplate our losses. There are many ways to measure success, and in terms of building an audience and engaging with the community I think we knocked it out of the park. But in terms of sales, the scale that most directly affects our lives, we went for broke and now that’s exactly what we are. To put this show into context. I think it helps to explain how we formed into …

Cycle of Love

05/01/2017

Cycle of Love 2017 Just released! Cycle of Love!!! It’s been six years since I’ve done any work involving origami. This is in large part due to the fact that it took me a whole year to complete the last one, because it involved folding a thousand paper cranes in pursuit of making a wish (Senbazuru). But the thing is, although I always tell people the story of how I made my wish, I hardly ever discuss what I actually wished for. Traditionally a Senbazuru folder is suppose to make some sort of selfless wish, such as: wishing a couple …

Silent Scream

11/02/2016

Silent Scream Silent Scream is the product of a collaboration with NYC based Hip Hop dancer/choreographer/actress Mayo Kinoshita. Mayo has a dizzying array of skills, and I felt really lucky to have her pose for my camera. Originally I had a more static and somber image in mind. However, once we started shooting, I was blown away by Mayo’s more dynamic take on the subject. This resulted in a much more fluid image, which I find easier on the eyes and more enjoyable to study in detail. Artist Notes Silent Scream is about how we use seductive lies to …

BBoy Monsters at Reed Space!!!

04/26/2016

Hope to see you there!!! Thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign, I am honored to cordially invite you to the opening of BBoy Monsters my first NYC solo exhibition!!!! Come out for an evening of art and dancing!! Photographs will be on display till May 31st, hope you can make it!!! BBoy Monsters @Reed Space May 14 – 31, 2016 151 Orchard St. New York, NY 10002 Artist Reception: May 14 4-7:00PM Sign up for my Secret Society and never miss a post! Just hit SUBSCRIBE over in the top right for details!!! Please support this work by …

Popping Monster - Sun Buddha's Box. Sun Kim posing in DUMBO Brooklyn , tutting with 6 arms.

Published in Daily Mail Online Today!!!!

04/01/2016

From my latest set of Popping Monsters – Sun, Buddha’s Box (more to come soon!) My BBoy Monsters were published in the Daily Mail UK this morning! The headline reads “How many arms and legs? Break dancers are turned into Buddhas for bizarre photography project” I guess it makes sense that this work ended up in a tabloid newspaper. But with a circulation of over 1,700,000 I’m not going to complain! With 6 days left to my indiegogo campaign, more exposure for this work is exactly what I need!!! Thank you to all my fans, contributors and collectors! Your continued …

BBoy Monsters: Jumanji - Pretzel. BBoy Jumanji with threading in a shoulder freeze with 4 legs and 3 arms

BBoy Monsters Indiegogo Launch

03/07/2016

Exciting things are happening!! I’ve been awarded a solo show at Reed Space, a lifestyle boutique store in NYC’s Lower East Side, which also features an art gallery!!! I will be showing work from my BBoy Monsters series, half of which will be new work shot this year featuring local NYC dancers. The show opens Saturday, May 14, 2016 with an opening reception from 4-7:00pm. The show will be up for 4 weeks. I have also just launched a crowdsourcing campaign on Indiegogo to help relieve some of the production costs for the show. Please have a look by clicking …

Group of women with brown hair and dark jackets reading and taking notes on the front steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. One women in the background in red reading lazily on her side.

Lazy Work – Visualizing Work and Play Through Art

11/12/2015

Lazy Work 2015 If you’re anything like me, trying to find the right balance between work and leisure is a daily struggle. When I’m too focused on work, all I can think about are the things I want to do when I finish (which typically include degenerate and self-destructive activities). However, even when I have free time on my hands, I find that it is no longer “free.” Instead, I start to stress out about the work I probably should be doing, but am too lazy to get started on it. This battle between my dedication to my work and …

Upcoming Shows

11/01/2012

I have a few upcoming shows this month, please stop by and take a look if you get the chance!!! Tonight is the opening reception for my show at Jameson and Thompson, a frame shop I am currently working at in Jamaica Plain. I will be showing all the new stuff from my “World of One” series (basically the last five entries in this blog). So if you’re a fan, or just a friend/acquaintance please stop by!! Reception is 6:00-8:00 come for some free wine/beer/snacks/awesome. Jameson and Thompson 15 Greenview Ave. Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 6:00-8:00 Additionally my “Reflection” photo …

Arrested Motions

05/17/2011

Funny how free time works. When you don’t have any of it, it’s awesome. But when you have a lot, it is no longer free, it just becomes time. When I was folding my 1000 cranes, I would take breaks from the monotonous folding process to make unique “designer cranes” like these. Each one featured a unique design, and are one of a kind. In order to make each crane as precise and clean as possible, I would constantly unfold and refold cranes to make sure the designs I drew fit each crane perfectly. I found this process both comforting …

Help Me Win Money!

04/07/2011

Dear Friends, Please help me win some money and vote for my portfolio: http://maozetang.see.me/aw2011 Thanks!!!!! With Love + Awesome, – Johnny

Fine Art Photographs by Johnny Tang