Tai Shani

Tai Shani’s artistic practice, comprising performance, film, photography, and installation, uses experimental writing as a guiding method. Oscillating between theoretical concepts and visceral details, Shani’s texts attempt to create poetic coordinates in order to cultivate, fragmentary cosmologies of marginalised nonsovereignty. Taking cues from both mournful and undead histories of reproductive labour, illness and solidarity, her work is invested in recovering feminised aesthetic modes – such as the floral, the trippy or the gothic – in a register of utopian militancy. In this vein, the epic, in both its literary long-form and excessive affect, often shapes Shani’s approach: Her long-term projects work through historical and mythical narratives, such as Christine de Pizan’s allegorical city of women or the social history of psychedelic ergot poisoning. Extending into divergent formats and collaborations, Shani’s projects examine desire in its (infra-)structural dimension, exploring a realism that materially fantasises against the patriarchal racial capitalist present. Tai Shani is the joint 2019 Turner Prize winner together with Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Helen Cammock and Oscar Murillo. Her work has been shown extensively in Britain and internationally.

Gathering
Tai Shani,The Neon Hieroglyph: Astrolatrous Communes III,2022
Bas relief: MDF, Jesmonite, flock, paint 155 x 105 x 10 cm,
1 / 8
Gathering
Tai Shani,Our Astrolatrous Communes IV,2023
Oil and acrvlic on plvwood with photo-etched nickel silver 130 x 80 × 12.5 cm,
2 / 8
Gathering
Tai Shani,Haunted by a Million Small Suns II,2023
Expanding foam, electrical cable, epoxy, jesmonite, glass, lightbulb, resin 70 x 70 x 20cm,
3 / 8
Gathering
Tai Shani,Worlds from the Book of Love: Zone III,2023
Glass, marabou feather, acrylic, miniature bound book, ladybirds, wood, quartz geode, epoxy 50 x 35 x 35cm,
4 / 8
Gathering
Tai Shani,Xenomantic I,2023
Fibreglass, expanding foam, epoxy, pearls, glass, plastic 200 x 65 x 65 cm,
5 / 8
Gathering
Tai Shani,Love for the Living II,2023
Fibreglass, expanding foam, epoxy, pearls, glass, wig,95 x 25 x 25 cm
6 / 8
Gathering
Tai Shani,Hanging Ghost,2023
Glass, cotton, rope, synthetic hair, polystyrene, jesmonite, wood, LED lights, electrical cable 120 x 60 x 60 cm,
7 / 8
Gathering
Tai Shani,Children of Lifelessness,2023
Polystyrene, jesmonite, lace, plastic, glass, velvet, epoxy 220 x 50 x 70cm,
8 / 8
Gathering
Tai Shani,The Neon Hieroglyph: Astrolatrous Communes III,2022
Bas relief: MDF, Jesmonite, flock, paint 155 x 105 x 10 cm,
Gathering
Tai Shani,Our Astrolatrous Communes IV,2023
Oil and acrvlic on plvwood with photo-etched nickel silver 130 x 80 × 12.5 cm,
Gathering
Tai Shani,Haunted by a Million Small Suns II,2023
Expanding foam, electrical cable, epoxy, jesmonite, glass, lightbulb, resin 70 x 70 x 20cm,
Gathering
Tai Shani,Worlds from the Book of Love: Zone III,2023
Glass, marabou feather, acrylic, miniature bound book, ladybirds, wood, quartz geode, epoxy 50 x 35 x 35cm,
Gathering
Tai Shani,Xenomantic I,2023
Fibreglass, expanding foam, epoxy, pearls, glass, plastic 200 x 65 x 65 cm,
Gathering
Tai Shani,Love for the Living II,2023
Fibreglass, expanding foam, epoxy, pearls, glass, wig,95 x 25 x 25 cm
Gathering
Tai Shani,Hanging Ghost,2023
Glass, cotton, rope, synthetic hair, polystyrene, jesmonite, wood, LED lights, electrical cable 120 x 60 x 60 cm,
Gathering
Tai Shani,Children of Lifelessness,2023
Polystyrene, jesmonite, lace, plastic, glass, velvet, epoxy 220 x 50 x 70cm,

Solo and Group Exhibitions

2024

The World to Me Was a Secret: Caesious, Zinnober, Celadon, and Virescent, The Cosmic House, London, UK

2023

Our Hieromantic Objects of Love, KM21. The Hague, Netherlands

And above the beautiful commune, Contemporary Art Center. Cincinnati, USA

you can now enter: notes on immersion, CLIMA. Milan, Italy

2022

Your Arms Outstretched Above Your Head, Coding With The Angels, Gathering. London, UK

You Are a Wave and I Am a Wave, Haus der Kulturen der Welt. Berlin, Germany

Testament, CCA Goldsmiths. London, UK

2021

The Neon Hieroglyph, Manchester lnternational Festival. Manchester, UK

Sol LeWitt/Mahler Foundation Carla Fendi Foundation. Spoleto, ltaly

British Art Show 9, Touring. UK

100 Years of conviviality: what you can see is what you can imagine, Kunstnernes Hus. Oslo, Norway

2020

Tragodia, Grazer Kunstverein. Austria

Transmissions (Founder and co-curator). The lnternet

Our Ashes Make Great Fertilizer, Public Gallery. London, UK

Monsteribeauty, Lychee One. London, UK

2019

Tragodia, Temple Bar Gallery. Dublin, Ireland

Tragodia, Moravian Gallery. Brno, Czech Republic 

Turner Prize, Turner Contemporary. Margate, UK

Andromedan Sad Girl, Centro Centro. Madrid, Spain  

Tragodia, Temple Bar Gallery. Dublin, lreland

DC Psy Chic Anem One, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. Turin, Italy

Alias, Netwerk. Aalst, Belgium

All His Ghosts Must Do My Bidding, Wysing Arts Centre. Cambridge, UK

Snowcrash, lMT Gallery. London, UK

2018

DC Semiramis, Glasgow lnternational (Director's Programme). Glasgow, UK

DC Semiramis, The Tetley. Leeds, UK

Still I Rise, Nottingham Contemporary, De La Warr Pavilion, Arnolfini. Bristol, UK

Beaconiflare Caustic Coastal. Manchester, UK

Orgasmic Streaming Organic Gardening Electroculture, Chelsea Space. London, UK 

2017

Andromedan Sad Girl, Wysing Arts Centre. Cambridge, UK 

Dark Water: The Dead of Night, CGP. London, UK

Plural Melts: Household Values, Yvonne Lambert Gallery. Berlin, Germany

2016

A Mysterical Day, Serpentine Galleries. London, UK

Moans of Approaching Death, Tate. London, UK

Radar, commission Loughborough University. Loughborough, UK

Dark Water: The Dead of Night, CGP. London, UK

Reality Production, Tensta Konsthall. Stockholm,

Sweden(A=O) The archive of epistemic collapse, MACAO. Milan, Italy

The Serpentine Miracle Marathon, The Serpentine Galleries. London, UK

Preserves and Presences, lrish Museum of Modern Art. Dublin, Ireland

Anathema, Danielle Arnaud. London, UK

2015

Double Feature, Schirn Kunsthalle. Frankfurt, Germany

2014

Mirrorcity, Hayward Gallery. London, UK

For as Long as You Like, Gaudel de Stampa. Paris, France

Myth-Science-Colloquium, Reactor Halls E1O. Nottingham, UK

Obliteration Device, lMT Gallery. London, UK

2013

Silver Fiat Vox Xero, Kline and Coma. London, UK

Anthology Live Film in Space, Camden Arts Centre. London, UK

Open Heart Surgery, The Moving Museum. London, UK

Drawing Biennial 2013, The Drawing Room. London, UK

Unconscious Archives, Cafe Oto/Apiary Studios. London, UK

An Arrangement in White, XO. Leeds, UK

2012

Revolver, Matt's Gallery. London, UK

Visionary Kingdom, The Arnolfini. Bristol, UK

WE ARE THE TIME, Gerrit Rietveld Academie. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Les Fleurs du Mal - New Art from London, AWANGARDA. Wroclaw, Poland

2011

Anti-Antigone End Time, FRAC Nord Pas de Calais for Loop. Barcelona, Spain

More Soup and Tart, Barbican. London, UK

Contemporary Art at Festival, Arts Council/UP Projects Commission 

Good Intentions, Hezi Cohen Gallery. Tel Aviv, Israel

Music as Medium: Tate Shots commission, Tate Britain. London, UK

Diffusions, Tate Britain. London, UK

Tableau Vivant: A Wandering Retrospective Prospect, 1.5. New Orleans, USA

2010

W.O.W. Noumenon Dilation: Reduced to 3, Artprojx. London, UK

Last Night I Dreamt I was Venus... Barbican. London, UK

Tai Shani ICA Screentest, lCA. London, UK

Selected Press

14 May 2024

Tai Shani profiled by Emily Steer for Wallpaper Magazine in discussion of her exhibition at The Cosmic House

29 Apr 2024

We are thrilled to announce Gathering’s participation in the inaugural edition of Esther with works by Turner-prize winner Tai Shani

20 Apr 2024

Tai Shani’s exhibition The World to Me Was a Secret: Caesious, Zinnober, Celadon and Virescent at Jencks Foundation, The Cosmic House

10 Apr 2024

Tai Shani will be featured in Protozone 14 at Shedhalle, Zürich

4 Apr 2024

We are thrilled to announce Gathering's participation in this year’s edition of Art Ono, with a group booth featuring; Jame St Findlay, Benedikt Hipp, Francesco João, Tamara K.E, Ndayé Kouagou, Wynnie Mynerva, Tai Shani