Talk Shop: Tze Chun // Founder of Uprise Art
Artwork: Scott Sueme
ABOUT TZE
We’re thrilled to have Tze Chun, founder of Uprise Art, join us for our #talkshop series. Uprise Art is an online art gallery that makes collecting original artwork by contemporary artists easier than ever before. They believe that collecting art is not just a purchase, it’s an experience.
Tze has been a visual and performing artist her whole life, studying Art History and Dance in college and directing a dance company for several years before founding Uprise Art. She started the gallery in 2011 when she realized that galleries were, for the most part, intimidating and hard to navigate. Uprise Art brings transparency to the art-collecting experience and builds meaningful relationships between collectors and artists. Over the past decade, Tze and her team have become even more focused on that mission, hosting exhibitions at Uprise Art's gallery in SoHo, where people can also schedule viewings to see work in person. We asked Tze to share her start, how one can start collecting art, and where to start your search (hint: it’s Uprise Art!).
Artwork: Laura Naples and Clay Mahn; Photo: Uprise Art
Describe your style in three words or less:
Artsy, eclectic, and relaxed.
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
Spending summers in Hong Kong and Singapore growing up, being a New Yorker, and working in the arts for the past 18 years.
How did you start your company, and what is your favorite thing about what you do:
I started Uprise Art in 2011; I wanted to create a transparent and accessible gallery where collectors could discover emerging artists and bring home original artwork without having to navigate the traditional, often exclusionary, gallery scene. My favorite thing about running the gallery is helping collectors understand their own tastes and interests and making a difference in the way they enjoy their homes.
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
Exactly 10 years ago this summer, a few female founders and I started a monthly breakfast club. Over the past decade, their advice, feedback, and friendship have helped me make informed decisions and also helped me feel a sense of community with other entrepreneurs.
Artwork: Angel Oloshove and Pilar Wiley; Photo: Kirsten Francis
What does your home say about you:
“You have two kids.”
Where do you find inspiration:
Visiting the studios of our gallery artists and learning about their work first-hand. Also, I have an addiction to art and design books. “Houses for Sale” by husband-wife architect duo Michael Meredith and Hilary Sample is a beautiful children’s book and glossary of architectural terms. “Giorgio Morandi: Late Paintings” released by David Zwirner includes a number of abstract tabletop still lifes and essays that are inspiring in the context of thinking about how memories are created through the objects and their arrangement within our homes. “Beauty and the East” is an awe-inspiring exploration of China’s new architecture, which combines tradition and experimentation.
Who are your style icons:
My friend Laurel Pantin, who has an incredible newsletter, and Kai Avent-deLeon, founder of the Brooklyn boutique Sincerely, Tommy.
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
Polaroid cameras, finger foods you can actually eat in one bite, adorable signage, and labels so people feel comfortable and taken care of.
Do you collect anything:
Art! But also Christmas mugs.
What tips can you share for someone who wants to start collecting art:
Don’t worry about matching your interior design style. Art can definitely complement your existing decor, but remember that collecting art is also a great opportunity to broaden your boundaries and view things differently.
Artwork: Hayley Sheldon; Design: Kerry Vasquez Design; Photo: Sara Ligorria-Tramp
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
I’m a New Yorker, so Wendy Goodman (@dhwendygoodman) for sure! Also, our design collaborators including Chango & Co (@changoandco), Studio DB (@studio_db), Danielle Colding (@daniellecoldingdesign), and Tali Roth (@talirothdesigns) always bring our artwork into their projects in unique ways.
We’ve invited some of our favorite creatives like Alice Gao (@alice_gao), Sean Santiago (@sean_santiago), and Ingrid Fetell Lee (@ingridfetell) to curate collections with our gallery, and they are definitely ones to follow.
It’s also great to see furniture and lighting studios that are pushing the boundaries between art and design, such as Apparatus (@apparatusstudio), Anna Karlin (@annakarlinstudio), and Egg Collective (@eggcollective).
What art “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:
It's simple — collect art that you love, not just to fill a space. There are no steadfast rules on which rooms to start with, or where to allocate your budget. You can place small artwork on a large wall or find a statement piece. The only thing that matters is that the artwork makes you happy in your home.
What are you working on right now:
We are curating two exhibitions that open at the gallery next month. The first show features artists Chloe Fields, Jackie Meier, Lourenço Providência, Sarah Sullivan Sherrod, and Christina Watka, and the second is a two-person show of new works by Dana Bell and Carmen McNall. Uprise Art also has a number of exciting large-scale residential and hotel projects that are finally installing this summer.
Wardrobe staples:
Jumpsuits, satin slip dresses, and Veja sneakers.
Artwork: Alex Proba; photo: Uprise Art
Best interior advice you ever received:
Don’t fret the window treatments.
Best career advice you ever received:
If things seem difficult, keep going and solve the problem. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it already.
Types of art purchases you invest in, and save on:
If there are artworks I can’t stop thinking about, I know I will regret letting them get away. Save on artworks that go in the bathroom since humidity is unpredictable.
Favorite places to shop for home:
Everything Office of Tangible Space creates is so special. Contract grade is helpful when you have kids, as well as having rounded corners on furniture, so I look to Hem for coffee tables and dining tables.
Artwork: Carrie Crawford; Design: Danielle Colding; Design & photo: Brittany Ambridge
Favorite place to shop for art:
Uprise Art of course :)
Your art motto:
Collect original artwork and support living artists.
Your life motto:
“All things are possible until they are proved impossible and even the impossible may only be so, as of now.” - Pearl S. Buck
Advice for someone looking to find their art style:
Your taste in art can feel similar to your style in fashion or interiors, but you might also be drawn to art that represents things that are unknown and push you. Don’t limit yourself to some prescribed set of terms or styles you think fit who you are. Art is the place where you can be your truest self, even if that means showing what you don’t know but want to learn more about.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Hainanese Chicken Rice
Drink: I’m a Spindrift addict
Film: Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love
Hotel: Hotel Il Pellicano on the Coast of Tuscany, we visited on our honeymoon and babymoon!
City: New York City
Bedding: Brooklinen
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): PG Tips with oat milk. In my twenties, the oat milk was condensed milk.
Playlist: Early 2000s “Hip Hop BBQ”
Weekend Activity: Dance classes, exploring the city with my kids, dinner out with friends
Design Book: “Sarah Sze: Timelapse”. Sze is an Asian-American installation artist and we went to the same high school. When I was a sophomore she returned as a visiting Artist-in-Residence and made a lasting impression on me.