Disease and What It Does to You as a Human
“Every scar tells a story”
Danny Raven Tan is 51 year old Singaporean artist that hails from a very humble background and tells a story that you don’t hear everyday. Before becoming a full time artist, Tan was pursuing a career he didn’t desire. He desperately began trying to change his career and eventually managed to achieve his dream in 2009 of going to the LASALLE College of the Arts. Only 1 year later, well into his art education, Tan was diagnosed with Stage 2 Pancreatic Cancer. His mother’s condition also began to decline as a result of dementia. Tan chose to leave his education behind and spend what little time he had with his family. He quit the college and decided to become a full time artist, working out of a flat in Ang Mo Kio. Even though his father had passed away 2 years later in 2015 due to Pulmonary Fibrosis, Tan kept pursuing his passion of art while simultaneously caring of his deteriorating mother. He opened an innovative gallery, one set in his own home. Named the Tiffin Gallery, it soon gained popularity not only for containing impressive conceptual art all painted by Tan himself, but also having a professional atmosphere yet the comfort of a home.
Something that I feel I have slightly overlooked is how Tan must have reacted to his mother’s state and his own diagnosis. I want to discuss the emotional impact it had on him and explore how it affected him on a human level. During his conference, Tan talked about his chemotherapy and how he developed very negative symptoms as a result of it. Having to face the unfortunate reality of his fleeting future and coming to terms with his mother’s health, Tan regrettably fell into a pit of depression. This got even worse as he took the decision to hide the revelation of his cancer from his mother. He mentioned that he ‘didn’t see the point in getting out of bed’ and that ‘nothing seemed to make him happy’. The only place where he seemed to find solace was in his art, so he decided to drown himself in it. After a long period of hardwork and positive thinking, Tan managed to bounce back from depression. He also decided to discontinue his chemotherapy, making his physical condition make a turn for the better as well. In his own words, “It won’t rain all the time”. This leads us up to today, where Tan is sharing his story with world and making damn sure that he enjoys himself while doing it.
I feel like in a small, yet prominent enough way, I can connect with Tan’s struggles. I, too have had to face the harsh truth that someone extremely close to me was going to move on from this world to the next. It has all been sorted out now but the feelings I suffered were some that I hope never to experience again. The most vivid detail I remember about that experience was how it felt like my lungs were collapsing, like I couldn’t breathe. It is easy to dismiss this as me overreacting but if you have ever been in a relatively similar situation, you know exactly what I’m talking about. All this helps me better relate to Tan’s suffering and assists me in understanding what Tan must have gone through.
