© Tara Li-An

Artist /Photographer 


After graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2002 from a degree in sustainable art & design, Tara worked in design, film & the world of editorial.  Having experienced various creative paths, she has built up a photographic style which imbues all her creative experience. Using both digital and analogue processes, she seeks to break down narratives and  transgress formal portraiture. Her mix media work develops symbiotically with her photographic practise.  It comes from a more playful intuitive side -  Hazy boundaries, aberrations of fantasies, esoteric themes and flexible memory creep into the work.

She is currently working on several new series;

I am a rock - A collection stones and rocks that she has been collecting (worldwide) for the last 40 years - they they are all now being slowly photographed - These all come with their own story - some fact, some fiction.  

Ode from a Nemophilist - Photo etchings of tree abstractions and the energy they exude. An energy loop is created between the camera, the body and the tree.  Once equilibrium is found, a slow exposure photograph is taken - the main body of this work Is taken at the location of the Earth's 7 Planetary Chakras, as well as Ley Lines in between.  These Images where first shown at the 'Utopia' show at the Mile End Pavilion, part of the ECOfeminism festival (7th -17th Oct 2021) but it is an going project.

Our brain is so presumptuous -  Tara has started exploring the idea that one's brain fills in the gaps. A series of incomplete paintings and sculptures - each viewer completes it.

Aye-aye aye : Ai-Ai-Ai - This is a series of paintings. Tara has transcribed her dreams and fed them to an Ai program. They have sent her back their visual interpretations - And now she paints their imagery - from one realm to another and to another. 




In 2019 her work was shown at Betts project, London, May 22-27th  at an exhibition hosted by the Sailmakers Collective.

2020, Tara was part of a two person show (alongside Martina O'shea) at 'Pages of Hackney'.  Pulled landscape  explores landscape through a series of abstractions. The photographic process is one which is quite instantaneous, and both artists use photography in a different way which is process driven. 30%  of sales are donated to Tree Council Charity (www.treecouncil.org.uk) 

2021, Tara was part of an mixed media exhibition A Glimpse of Kink, June 2021, at the Bateman Gallery of London. Showcasing portraits of Syn Ariad, mistress, fetish muse and artist: An  immersive dialogue between art, life, and lifestyles - In times of censorship affecting art, sexuality and the production of radical content, the event sought out to be an occasion to fight cultural stereotypes and stigmas whilst bringing the community together.

And lastly, Margate pride presents: Queer Portraits at the Pie Factory, 1-10th August 2025. A Joint exhibition with; Brogan Bertie, Tara Li-An, Abi Birkinshaw and Kate Malyon. A collaborative show celebrating queer identity, resilience and the power of self-representation through the medium of portraiture. Tara will show some pieces from - Cross-pollination: Reflecting on Migration and Belonging in Margate, an ongoing project by Tara which started in 2024 - Combining black-and-white photography with interviews to explore themes of home, identity, and e/immigration, in Thanet, particularly Margate. Through a queer ecological lens, Tara emphasises the interconnectedness of humans, nature, and memory, highlighting how land holds the traces of migration. Tara’s practice blends photography with sewing, collage, and alternative printing methods, using plant-based materials to reduce her environmental impact. 

(Thank you, Arts Council, for the DYCP funding & access workers)

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