TAIPEI, Taiwan — What happens when exhaustion, vulnerability, humor and the ordinary routines of everyday life become the raw material for contemporary art?
Taiwanese artist Sangna Take (桑拿大可) is exploring exactly that question in his latest solo exhibition, A Pair of Underwear, A Pair of Socks, now on display at Eslite Gallery in Taipei.
The exhibition brings together 40 new works—34 paintings and six ceramic sculptures—and marks the artist’s return to Eslite Gallery following his well-received 2024 solo exhibition. The show runs through October 10, 2026.
Rather than presenting polished images of an idealized life, Sangna Take builds his visual language around something much more familiar: the desire to switch off, let go and simply exist.
His recurring “disillusioned boy” or “slacker boy” figures have become closely associated with his work, capturing the fatigue, humor and emotional detachment that many younger urban viewers recognize in contemporary life.
From social media to the gallery
Born in Kaohsiung in 1992, Sangna Take graduated from the Department of Visual Communication Design at China University of Technology in 2013.
His path into the art world was not built solely through conventional gallery channels.
According to CNA, his creative career developed significantly through social media, where he began drawing portraits for online users and gradually built an audience around his distinctive visual style.
His artistic name itself reflects his playful approach.
His real name is Sun Take, and he transformed the sound of “Sun” into the Chinese character “桑,” translated “Take” as “拿,” and combined that with his given name to create 桑拿大可, or Sangna Take. The name also evokes “sauna,” fitting his stated desire for his artwork to provide viewers with a moment of relaxation.
That idea has become central to his artistic identity.
The art of slowing down
The title A Pair of Underwear, A Pair of Socks may sound deliberately ordinary—and that is precisely the point.
The everyday garments represent the moment when people return home, remove the expectations attached to their public identities and enter a more private, unguarded state.
Vogue Taiwan describes the exhibition as an exploration of everyday experience, bodily awareness and desire, while emphasizing the relaxed atmosphere that has become a defining characteristic of Sangna Take’s work.
Instead of relying only on his familiar characters, the new exhibition introduces fairies, anthropomorphic flowers and animals, expanding the cast of his visual world.
The result is an exhibition that moves beyond simply portraying an “unmotivated” or tired generation.
It turns relaxation itself into a creative subject.
Why his paintings look deliberately imperfect
One of Sangna Take’s most recognizable characteristics is his loose, seemingly spontaneous linework.
But the apparent simplicity is intentional.
Taiwan News reports that the artist has increasingly tried to make his work feel more relaxed over the past two years, allowing wiping marks, rough brushwork and imperfections to remain visible rather than correcting everything into precise forms.
That philosophy can be traced to his broader creative approach.
An earlier profile by Shopping Design described his work as being driven by playfulness rather than an obsession with rigid artistic rules. The publication noted his preference for painting people and his use of digital painting, watercolor and acrylic techniques.
His influences include artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Yoshitomo Nara, while fashion, internet culture and everyday visual references also play important roles in his work.
A self-portrait unlike his familiar characters
One of the most significant additions to the new exhibition is Sangna Take’s first official self-portrait.
Rather than presenting another stylized fictional character, the painting turns the artist’s gaze inward.
Taiwan News reports that the work reflects the uncertainty, fear and persistence surrounding his early decision to pursue painting professionally.
CNA likewise highlighted the self-portrait as a work that looks back on the emotions surrounding the period when he decided to commit himself to painting.
It represents a noticeable shift from the detached, fashion-oriented faces that have appeared in some of his earlier collaborations.
From Instagram doodles to physical paintings
Social media remains an important part of Sangna Take’s creative process.
One example is Fickle Flower, which began as a casual doodle created with a phone’s Instagram drawing tool before being translated onto canvas. The physical version retains elements of the digital image’s texture and spontaneity.
CNA also reported an unusual story behind another work, Tickle & Fickle: after listening repeatedly to music recommended to him, Sangna Take eventually received a social-media message from the musician himself asking whether he could create artwork for an album cover.
That connection between internet culture and physical art has been a recurring feature of his career.
Socks, bodies and contemporary youth culture
The exhibition also pushes into more intimate territory.
One of its key series, Lucky to Be Stepped On, focuses closely on feet, different skin tones and socks.
According to Taiwan News, the socks also carry associations with coded signals found in queer and contemporary subcultures, while the imagery combines physical sensation, humor and erotic suggestion.
Rather than treating these themes purely provocatively, the exhibition folds them into the artist’s broader interest in vulnerability, intimacy and the private experiences hidden beneath everyday routines.
Why Sangna Take’s work resonates
Sangna Take’s popularity is partly rooted in recognition.
His characters often look tired, detached or uninterested in performing perfection. That visual attitude has helped his work connect with audiences accustomed to the pressure of work, social expectations and constant online comparison.
A recent profile by WEPEOPLE similarly describes his “disillusioned boy” as a character that reflects the emotional state of younger generations, while Vogue Taiwan emphasizes the artist’s ability to transform ordinary private moments into visual expressions of relaxation and desire.
His work therefore sits somewhere between contemporary art, illustration, fashion and internet culture.
And that crossover may be one of the reasons his work has continued to attract attention outside traditional art circles.
Exhibition Details
Sangna Take: A Pair of Underwear, A Pair of Socks
Venue: Eslite Gallery, B1, Eslite Spectrum Songyan, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei
Dates: August 15–October 10, 2026
Works: 34 paintings and six ceramic sculptures
Admission: Free
Gallery hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday.
The bigger picture
Sangna Take’s latest exhibition isn’t simply about being lazy.
It is about what happens when people stop performing.
By turning underwear, socks, tired expressions, imperfect brushstrokes and fleeting digital sketches into subjects for serious artistic exploration, the Kaohsiung-born artist is building a visual language around a distinctly contemporary feeling: the need to escape pressure and find a little room to breathe.
And perhaps that is the unexpected reason his work continues to resonate.
In a culture increasingly obsessed with productivity and perfection, Sangna Take is making art out of the decision to slow down.
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