Collecting Joy

Sherwin Tan shares his art collecting journey.

Words Maia San Diego
Photography Kim Albalate

Ramon Orlina sculpture atop the Tom Ford monograph.

“Art is like rainwater. It washes away the concerns in life. Because if you collect art that you like, at the end of the day, when you look at it, you tend to get lost in another world and it could bring so much happiness,” says artist and art collector Sherwin Tan.

From his early years, Tan displayed his artistic inclinations—he would often draw on his arm and get scolded by his mother. His interest in collecting art began in college. While taking up Fine Arts, he started collecting his classmates’ pieces or their plates from class. Being a wide-eyed young man, he would visit galleries to see works by local artists such as Romulo Olazo and Ang Kiukok.

Tan shares that he was later able to buy a Sansó from Sansó himself. One of his first Sansó pieces was 5 x 6 inches in size. He remains grateful to have gotten the chance to converse with Sansó. Tan would even bring some of his own art to Sanso to critique, and Sansó would advise him on how he could further improve. It was during college when Tan attended a talk Sansó gave on composition—it was a memorable and enlightening experience for the budding artist.