Stories – TANXORA

Stories

Artist interviews, independent practitioner conversations, and project case studies from the field. The lives behind the work.

For nearly 20 years, Tan Xiaozheng has been documenting the lives and practices of independent artists and creators — not through structured Q&A, but through long-form conversations that trace the contours of a person’s creative journey.

This collection brings together interviews from Backwall Studio’s archive, translated and re-expressed for an English audience. Each story is a case study in how independent practitioners think, work, and grow.

Interviews

Tan Xiaozheng: 22 Years of Independent Practice

A self-interview by the founder of TANXORA. Born in Chengdu, class of 2004 from the Central Academy of Fine Arts animation program. Started DONGKOH as a student publication — it became one of China’s most influential independent animation media. After serving 400+ brands across two decades, the question that remained was: what does it mean to build independently, on your own terms?

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The Backwall Method: 20 Years of Independent Artist Documentation

The defining feature of a Backwall conversation is the absence of a script. No prepared questions, no questionnaires — just a conversation that finds its own shape. This is the philosophy behind the method, and why it took 20 years to recognize it as one.

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Case Study

400 Brands, One Person

How a solo practitioner served hundreds of clients across animation, media, art, and cultural production without ever building a team. The honest answer to “why no team?” might surprise you.

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TANXORA · Built independently. Grown together.