At Nicholas Tan’s First Solo Exhibition, Aupen’s Purpose Bag Takes On Different Forms

The designer, entrepreneur, model, and former national swimmer adds “contemporary artist” to his title with his show at 125 Projects.

In fashion, there are bag silhouettes that are synonymous with luxury labels: the Chanel classic flap, known for its diamond stitches and chain strap; the Hermès Birkin, with its structured open-top rectangular body; the Fendi Baguette, with its oblong, East-West design that sits tightly under the arm. And for Singaporean fashion accessories brand Aupen, it’s the asymmetrical silhouette of its Purpose bag.

At 125 Projects in Mandaluyong City, this very bag is the star of Aupen founder Nicholas Tan’s first solo exhibition. The Purpose bag, as seen on the arms of Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Olivia Rodrigo, is stripped of its function, taking the form of sculptures and installations, and serving as a canvas. “The shape of the Purpose bag for me is very memorable, and it is something that, as I saw it over and over again, I just kept thinking about it,” he tells Vogue Philippines. 

At the exhibition, the silhouette is seen on the fabric hung on the wall and worn by a statue. It is painted on the window, and it is a frame on the wall, all in the same shade of purple. Alongside these installations are the Manila-exclusive Nirvana bags, which are limited edition and signed, and the Purpose bag in three colorways, which will be available exclusively during the exhibition.

For Tan, the exhibition is an extension of his fashion practice. “I don’t really see fashion and art as two traditionally separate pathways,” he says. “Maybe traditionally, the artist and the bag designer have been two separate people. For me, I’m just thinking, why can’t it be the same person or the same entity?”

This answer is not surprising, as Tan himself is a multihyphenate across different fields: a former national competitive swimmer, a Harvard biology graduate, and, early in his fashion career, he worked as a model, becoming the first Southeast Asian man to front a global advertising campaign for Dolce & Gabbana. Given his background, it’s not entirely surprising that he leaps into another practice as a contemporary artist. In fact, he considers it an advantage.

“I didn’t go to art school or fashion school,” he says. “It’s possible that I have fewer boundaries, or I think less about what the rules are. For me, I’m quite curious about stuff. So I would just experiment and see how it feels and then put it out.” His experience in the sciences, he shares, has taught him a lot about logic, systems, and functions, which are key themes in his exhibition. “The bag has a function; how do people use it? What’s a system with which people consume fashion versus the art system?” he wonders aloud.

While the exhibition leaves these questions on our minds, Tan encourages guests to have fun while exploring the exhibit. Opting to make the space interactive, he took a bit of inspiration from a carnival theme, where each visitor will be given some rings to toss on the sculpture. If they can toss them on the statues, the visitor will receive a heart-shaped charm, a gift that ties in with the broken heart statue in the exhibit. “I want to interact with my pieces, and I hope they create really good memories with their friends or family, or whoever they visit with,” he says.

As this exhibition marks a new chapter in Tan’s creative practice, he looks back on his journey. “All the bags that we produce are under the Aupen brand,” he says. “This particular exhibition is the first time I’m putting my name on these works of art.” But whether it’s fashion or art, Tan’s designs will always come from the “same brain and the same heart.”

Nicholas Tan’s first solo exhibition will run until August 30 at 125 Projects, Mandaluyong City.