GALLERY HOP/OPENING:
NOVEMBER 1 > 7-10

CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY NOV 27-29

CEDRIC TAI

STATEMENT
It is human nature to want to categorize what we observe in order to further our own understanding; however, it is out of our hands to organize the systems by which these observations function.

My work portrays systems -- the way in which the whole is made up of things that are related, interconnected or interacting. Systems merely provide us with a kind of insight specific to their context; they're not used to try to convince us of anything, they don't give value judgments to their subjects, and they don't necessarily explain what something actually is. They illustrate our observations and leave the connections to be made by the individual. These visual statements are exciting because they represent things that we cannot see, or they make clear the order that exists in nature.

Systems are inspiring because even though they reveal mysteries in a visual form -- such as the golden ratio seen in a sunflower's seeds -- they usually are a mystery in themselves.

The visual impact of my work also relies on the same kind of mysterious process. Where does this order come from, and what is the meaning behind the meaning? We filter information to see it as a system to its fullest extent. However, all we have the capacity to do is bring to fruition the order of things. We didn't make them. They were always here.

BIO
Cedric Tai graduated with a BFA from Michigan State University, currently resides in Detroit, MI and has recently finished his teaching certification in Art K-12. He grew up in Michigan where his interest began in painting grew as a result of seeing art in Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco and New York. His paintings are on the reverse side of acrylic plastic, which for him is the perfect medium to work through an experimental process. Using a vast array of materials the work is unpredictable, exciting and allows him to consider the plastic as diverse metaphors. In one painting, the painting may represent dark matter holding everything together; on another the plastic represents a filter between reality and the mind. Even if the audience does not share his vision, he embraces the openness of abstraction and believes that the viewer will complete the meaning. He doesn't believe he would have been able to do any of this without the support of friends and family. As an emerging artist he is working towards showing his work nationally and internationally and looking forward to developing the theme of diversity and systems in artwork to come through his unique perspective as an artist and educator.