Teo Eng Seng



Singapore Infopedia

Background

Teo Eng Seng (张永生)1 (b. 14 December 1938, Singapore–)2 was a recipient of the Cultural Medallion in 1986 for his contributions to visual arts.3 In 1960, The Singapore Free Press described Teo as “a youth who holds the record of being the first schoolboy in Singapore to hold a one-man art exhibition”.4 His invention of the paperdyesculp as a medium ranks as one of the most significant achievements of second-generation artists in Singapore.5

He has also extended his oeuvre to include both performance and installation art.6 Teo’s earliest works of the 1960s and 1970s had portrayed art as a form of a social statement. His most important contributions also lie in the area of art education and his advisory role to various art institutions and national committees.7 In his 70s, Teo converted part of his home on
Marshall Road to Muse House, an exhibition space where his collection and the works of other artists are showcased for free.8


Early life and education
Born the fourth of eight children, Teo was influenced by his photographer father, who encouraged his pursuit of the arts.9 When Teo was 17, he enrolled (with the help of his father) for an art class jointly organised by the Singapore Art Society and the British Council.10 As a result, Teo first exhibited his works at the British Council Hall when an exhibition was held for the students.11 He then went on to put up his first one-man art exhibition at the Pasir Panjang Secondary School art room when he was a form five student at the school in 1959.12

At the age of 19, carrying £25, Teo hitch-hiked through India, Pakistan and Europe to Britain with five other Sea Scouts.13 He then raised funds for his studies by working in a textile company, tyre factories and cleaning railroad bridges for two years.14 He continued to work in the day while attending night classes at the Central School of Arts and Crafts (now Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design) in London for two years. Then, he joined the Birmingham College of Art and Design where he graduated in 1968.15


Teo taught at schools in the United Kingdom before returning to Singapore in 1971, following which he became an art master at the United World College of Southeast Asia,16 where he was a key figure in organising its annual arts festival, an important platform for contemporary art exhibitions in venue-scarce Singapore at the time.17


Career
An inventive and prolific artist, Teo has produced numerous works and participated in many exhibitions.18 His artistic style is an emotive resonance with the broader environment he has lived in.19 Constance Sheares referred to him as one of ‘The Early Abstractionists’, alongside other artists such as Cheong Soo Pieng, Thomas Yeo, Goh Beng Kwan and Anthony Poon.20 While Teo likes to experiment with different medium such as oil painting and plastic waste, the second-generation Singapore artist is most recognised for his invention of the medium of “paperdyesculp” – dyed paper mache shaped into artworks.21

Advocating art and nurturing the local art scene are among Teo’s priorities.22 He taught art at the United World College for 25 years until 1996 when he became a full-time artist.23 In 2006, he converted his family photo studio at Holland Village into a gallery to showcase local artworks.24 While there, he organised a series of five exhibitions to challenge the second-generation artists to break new grounds.25 Then in 2008, he transformed his
Peranakan home in Katong into Muse House to hold exhibitions of his works and those of second-generation artists and new artists for free.26 As part of his continual effort to promote and nurture new artists, Teo organised an exhibition for an emerging artist, Tumadi Patri, at DLR Gallery@Muse House in 2014.27 He has also mentored artists like Sunny Chyun, winner of the 2017 UOB Painting of the Year (Singapore) Award.28 He has also served in various art committees to advise on art directions.29

Education
1955–59: Education at St Anthony’s Boy School/Pasir Panjang Secondary School.30
1955–57: Attends art lessons at British Council, Singapore.31
1961–63: Studies at Central School of Arts and Crafts, London.32
1963–67: Studies at Birmingham College of Art and Design, England, attains Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Painting (Birmingham).33
1967–68: Studies at School of Art Education, Birmingham College of Art & Design, attains Art Teacher’s Diploma and Post-Graduate Certificate of Education (Birmingham University).34

Employment history
1968–69: Art master, Riland-Bedford School, Sutton Coldfield, England.35
1969–71: Deputy head, art department, and in-charge of creative photography and film making, Shoreditch School, London.36
1971: Teaches art at Singapore International School (now known as United World College of South East Asia), Singapore.37
1977: Acting head of art department, United World College of South East Asia, Singapore.38
1978–96: Head of art department, United World College of South East Asia, Singapore.39

Solo exhibitions 
1959: An Exhibition of Paintings & Drawings by Teo Eng Seng, Pasir Panjang Secondary School, Singapore, 13–15 August.40
1981: Turning Point: An Exhibition of Paperdyesculp, Paintings and Mixed Media Cculptures, Alpha Gallery, Singapore, 17–31 October.41

1988: On the Other Side of Silence (OTOSOS), Camden Arts Centre, London, 8–24 April.42

1989: Humanity Nurturing Humanity, a performance-exhibition-dialogue in the vicinity of the Tate Gallery, London; Tate Gallery, Liverpool; Museum of Modern Art, Oxford; Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham; the Artists’ Village, Singapore.43
1997:
Running-In: An Art Exhibition of Recent Paperdyesculp,
The Substation
, Singapore, 22 May–1 June.44
2005: Cute. Serious. Smart. Adorable, DLR Gallery, Singapore, 2–10 July.45
2008: Works Spanning 50 Years, Muse House, Singapore, 17–27 July.46
2009: Large Paintings Reworked, DLR Gallery, Singapore.47
2011: Experiential Recalls (Cultural Medallion grant exhibition), Muse House, Singapore, 10 –24 April 2011.48
2013: Why Paint? An Exhibition of Recent Works by Teo Eng Seng, DLR Gallery, Singapore.49
2016: The Net: Most Definitely the Singapore River, Keppel Centre for Art Education, National Gallery Singapore, 10–11 September.50

Selected group exhibitions
1961: Two-man exhibition (with Soh Hiap Chin), Victoria Memorial Hall, Singapore.
51
1971–88: Annual Festival of the Arts, United World College of South East Asia, Singapore.52
1976: National Museum Art Gallery Inaugural Exhibition, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, from 21 August;53 Colour, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, 2–31 October.54
1977–80: Annual Exhibition, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore.55
1977: Selection, Alpha Gallery, Singapore.56
1978: Alpha Group 78, Alpha Gallery, Singapore, 24 November–3 December.57
1979: 30th Anniversary Commemorative Art Exhibition, Singapore Art Society, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, Ma;58 Contemporaries 79, Alpha Gallery, Singapore, 12–25 September.59
1980: National Day Art Exhibition, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, 16–18 Augus;60 Painters 80, Alpha Gallery, Singapore, 19–30 September;61 1st Contemporary Asian Art Show, Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan, 1–30 November.
62
1980–88: Singapore Festival of Arts (later known as Singapore Arts Festival), National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore.63
1981: Asian Christian Art, Orchard Road Presbyterian Church, Singapore, 17–27 March;64 Contemporary Art, Alpha Gallery, Singapore, 19–30 September.65
1982: Painting of the Year Competition (organised by the Ministry of Culture and United Overseas Bank Group), National Museum, Singapore, 15–25 July;66 Celebration, Alpha Gallery, Singapore, 23 July–7 August;67 ASEAN Travelling Exhibitions of Painting and Photography.68
1983: Painting of the Year Competition (organised by the Ministry of Culture and United Overseas Bank Group), National Museum, Singapore;69 New Images (organised by the Modern Art Society of Singapore), National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, till 27 July.70
1984: ASEAN Travelling Exhibitions of Painting and Photography;71 Inspiration, Alpha Gallery, Singapore, 19 June–2 Jul;72 Federal Territories Celebration, National Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July;73 Painting of the Year Competition (organised by United Overseas Bank Group), National Museum, Singapore, 19–25 October;74 25 Years of Art in Singapore: 1984 National Day Art Exhibition, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, 17–31 August.75
1985: ASEAN Travelling Exhibitions of Painting and Photography;76 Singapore art for Japan Festival, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, 16–25 September;77 2nd
Contemporary Asian Art Show
, Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan, 2 November–1 December;78 35th Anniversary Exhibition, Singapore Art Society, Modern Art Museum, Taiwan.79
1986: 8a: An Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Alpha Gallery, Singapore, c. 18–31 January;80 Exhibition of Recent Acquisitions, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, c. 22 August–10 September.81
1987: New Directions, Modern Art Society, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, c. 19–23 August;82 Centenary Art Exhibition, National Museum, Singapore, 24 October–15 November.83
1988: Inaugural Exhibitions: P. S. Teo, Photographer; Glimpses of Teo Eng Seng’s Latest Works, DLR The Centre For The Arts, Singapore, 24 February–6 March;84 Masterpieces from Private Collections, Singapore Festival of Arts, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, 2 June–3 July.85
1989: 3rd Contemporary Asian Art Show, Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan, 6 July–13 August;86 Yokohama Museum of Art, Japan, 3 November–15 December; Modern Art Museum, Seoul, South Korea;87 The Drawing Show, The Artists Village, Singapore, 10–31 December.88
1989–90: The Time Show, The Artists Village, Singapore, 31 December 1989–1 January 1990.89
1990: Modem Art Travels East-West: Art from Corporate Collections in Singapore and the Netherlands, Beurs/World Trade Centre, Rotterdam, 7–24 June; Empress Place Museum, Singapore, 10–26 August;90 Singapore Art Fair 90, World Trade Centre Exhibition Hall 2, Singapore, 3–12 August;91 Urban Artists: 25 Years of Singapore Art, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, 18 August–2 September;92 Singapore Artists Speak, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, 28 July–2 August.93

1989–91: Contemporary Art in Singapore: “Where East Meets West”, Tropenmusuem, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, October 1989; Deutsche Bank AG, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Nuernburg, and Mannheimer Kunstverein, Mannheim, Groningen, all from February–December 1990; Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland, 20 April–22 June 1991.95
1991–93: Many in One: 25 Years of Art from Singapore (organised by National Museum of Singapore and Meridien House International, Washington, D.C.), National Museum, Singapore, c. 28–31 March; Toured the United States from June 1991.95
1991: Change: 20 Singapore Artists – A Decade of Their Work, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, 16–28 July;96 Sculpture in Singapore, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, 16 November–15 December.97
1992: ASEAN Selection, Singapore Festival of Arts, National Museum, Singapore, 5–25 June.98

1993: Singapore Artists, Singapore Art Fair 93, World Trade Centre Expo Hall 3, Singapore, 28 July–1 August;99 Singapore: Places, Poems, Painting, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore, 3–8 August;100 Strategies: An Exhibition of Artworks by Seven Outstanding Contemporary Singapore Artists, Takashimaya Gallery, Singapore, 8–19 October.101
1994: Singapore Showcase, Tresors d’Art: Asian International Contemporary Art Fair, World Trade Centre, Singapore, 28 October–2 November.102

1995: Exhibition of Contemporary Art of the Non-Aligned Countries, The National Art Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia, 28–30 April.103
1997: Singapore Art 97, Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Singapore, 29 August–2 September.104
1998: Second Nature: Cityscapes of Singapore, Central Plaza, Hong Kong;105 Kalang-Guni Art Exhibition, Federation of Art Societies, Singapore, 3–31 October;106 President’s Charity Art Exhibition, Tourism Court, Singapore, 24 October–8 November.107
1998–99: Imaging Selves, Singapore Art Museum Collection Exhibition Series, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 6 April–31 October;108 Tomorrow’s Realism – a multi-dimensional art event, Telok Kurau Studios, Singapore, 12 December 1998–31 January 1999.109
1999: Provocative Things, Sculpture Square, Singapore, 22 October–15 December;110President’s Charity Art Exhibition, Far East Square Pavilion, Singapore, 18–23 December.111
1999–2000: Telok Kurau Studios 2000, Telok Kurau Studios, Singapore, 15 December 1999–31 January 2000.112
2000: Alpha Revival, DP Space, Singapore, c. November;113 ArtPower 2000, MITA ARTrium, Singapore, 17–23 November.114
2000–01: Landscape in Southeast Asian Paintings, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 10 October 2000–16 December 2001.115
2001: New Creation, Telok Kurau Studios, Singapore, c. 27 January–31 March;116 Pulp Friction: Materials in Contemporary Art, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 12 September–18 November.117
2001–02: The Spirit Within: An Exhibition of Recent Works by 30 Telok Kurau Studios Artists, Telok Kurau Studios, Singapore, 9 December 2001–6 January 2002;118 Nokia Singapore Art, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 8 December 2001–3 February 2002.119
2002: Contemporary Asian Art Fair, Suntec City, Singapore, 11–15 October;120 Origins – An Exhibition by Five Top Second Generation Artists, Sunjin Galleries, Singapore, 14–30 November;121 Telok Kurau Studios 2002, Telok Kurau Studios, Singapore, 9 December.122
2002–04: South and Southeast Asian Gallery Inaugural Exhibition, NUS Museums, Singapore, 26 Feb 2002–May 2004.123
2003: See It. Feel It. Love It. Recent Works by Ho Ho Ying and Teo Eng Seng, TKS Art Gallery, Singapore, 31 October–9 November.124
2003–04: Change, Telok Kurau Studios, Singapore, 11 December 2003–4 January 2004.125
2004–05: Crossroads: Collective Works of 2nd Generation Artists, Ng Eng Teng Gallery, NUS Museums, Singapore, 24 July 2004–July 2005.126
2005: Old, Nostalgic, Sentimental, Beautiful, DLR Gallery, Singapore, 3–28 January;127 Celebration, Telok Kurau Studios, Singapore, c. 8–29 August;128 Seventies, Art-2 Gallery, Singapore;129 A Different Light Works from Selected Collections, National Library Building, Singapore;130 New Works: Exciting and Thought-Provoking, Telok Kurau Studios Gallery, Singapore;131 Contemporary 2005, Angkatan Pelukis Aneka Daya, ARTrium@MICA, Singapore, 6–9 December.132
2006: Encounters: Southeast Asian Art in Singapore Art Museum Collection, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, 31 August–10 September;133 Important Second-Generation Artists Series 4, DLR Gallery, Singapore, 29 September–15 October.134
Jul 2009: 第二代画家联展 [Second-Generation Artists Group Exhibition], Black Earth Art Museum.135
2009: Life Journeys, An Exhibition of Drawings in the Prison Cell by Teo Soh Lung and D Cell, a Collection of Small Sculptures by Teo Eng Seng, DLR Gallery, Singapore.136
10–24 Apr 2011: Experiential Recalls, Muse House.137
2013–16: A Changed World: Singapore Art 1950s–1970s, National Museum of Singapore.138
2015–16: A New Horizon, China Cultural Centre, Singapore. 21 November 2015–3 January 2016.139
2016: The Singapore Art Show, Artspace@Helutrans, 29 September–9 October.140
Jun 2017: Karang Guni Uncles project, Sungei Road.141
2019: Awakenings: Art in Society in Asia 1960s1990s, National Gallery Singapore, 14 June–15 September 2019.142


(Note: Exact exhibition titles, location and duration are provided wherever possible. In many instances, however, such information is lacking and therefore omitted in the respective entries.)

Commissions
1998–2003: Commuters – wall mural at Outram Park Mass Rapid Transit Station, North East Line, Art in Transit programme, Land Transport Authority.143

Awards and achievements
1964–68: Major County Education Award, Warwickshire County Council, England.144
1982: Third prize, UOB Painting of the Year Competition, Singapore.145
1983: Special award, “New Images”, Modern Art Society, Singapore;146 Third prize, UOB Painting of the Year Competition, Singapore.147
1984: First prize, UOB Painting of the Year Competition (Abstract Category), Singapore.148
1986: Cultural Medallion, Singapore government.149
1987: Long service award, Visual Arts Advisory Committee, Ministry of Community Development, Singapore.150
1989: Fine Art Fellow,Birmingham Institute of Art & Design, England.151
1997: Pingat APAD, Angkatan Pelukis Aneka Daya, Singapore.152
1999: International Order of Merit, for services to art and art exhibition, IBC Cambridge, United Kingdom.153
2004: Da Vinci Diamond, IBC Cambridge, United Kingdom.154
2006: Special recognition award, Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts, Singapore.155
2010: Gold Medal for Singapore, Contribution to Country and Its People, ABI – USA.156

Other art-related activities
1986: Member, Committee on Visual Arts, Advisory Council on Culture & the Arts, Ministry of Community Development, Singapore.157
1986: Vice-president, Modern Art Society.158
1986–91: Member, Visual Arts Advisory Committee, Ministry of Community Development, Singapore.159
1987: Member, International Baccalaureate Curriculum Board’s Art/Design Subject Committee, Geneva, Switzerland.160
1992–: Member, Panel of Arts Advisers, National Arts Council, Singapore.161
2006–08: Arts advisor, National Arts Council, Singapore.162

Family
Father: Teo Chong Khim163
Wife: Diana164
Siblings: Four brothers and three sisters – Poh Seng, Yeow Seng (Yau Seng), Choon Lan (Choon Lung), Soh Lung, Siew Lung.165




Author
Jason Soo



References
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95. National Museum, Singapore, Many in One: 25 Years of Art from Singapore (Singapore: National Museum, 1991) (Call no. RSING 759.95957 MAN); T. K. Sabapathy, “Modes of Change,” Straits Times, 28 March 1991, 5. (From NewspaperS)
96. “Page 10 Miscellaneous Column 1,” Straits Times, 13 July 1991, 10. (From NewspaperSG)
97. T. K. Sabapathy, Sculpture in Singapore (Singapore: National Museum, 1991), 27 (Call no. RSING 730.95957 SAB); “Singapore Sculpture,” Straits Times, 15 November 1991, 2. (From NewspaperSG)
98. T. K. Sabapathy, Teo Eng Seng: Art and Thoughts (Singapore: Ethos Books, 2011), 135. (Call no. RSING 709.2 TEO)
99. “Page 22 Advertisements Column 1,” Straits Times, 28 July 1993, 22; “Fingerwork,” Straits Times, 29 July 1993, 3. (From NewspaperSG)
100. Koh, Places, Poems, Paintings, 197; T. K. Sabapathy, “Easy on the Eye,” Straits Times, 2 August 1993, 10. (From NewspaperSG)
101. Susie Wong, “Takashimaya Gallery Opens with 7 Top Names,” Straits Times, 8 October 1993, 10. (From NewspaperSG)
102. Leong Weng Keong, “Tresors Fair to Feature Works By Some of Singapore’s Best Srtists,” Straits Times, 21 October 1994, 18. (From NewspaperSG)
103. “Singapore and Indonesia to Launch More Joint Cultural Projects,” Straits Times, 1 April 1995, 11. (From NewspaperSG)
104. Janet Ho, “When 3-D Art Looks Better Than 2-D,” Straits Times, 28 August 1997, 2; “Page 2 Advertisements Column 2,” Straits Times, 28 August 1997, 2. (From NewspaperSG)
105. National Arts Council, National Heritage Board and Singapore Tourism Board. Ingression, Impression: A Foray into the Visual Arts in Singapore, Multimedia People, 2005, CD-ROM. (Call no. RSING 709.5957 ING)
106. Clarissa Oon, “I Can Turn Junk into a Work of Art,” Straits Times, 4 October 1998, 4. (From NewspaperSG)
107. Tan Shzr Ee, “From Stone Age to New Age,” Straits Times, 24 October 1998, 3; Tan Shzr Ee, “Don’t Shrink Qway from the Man in the Mirror,” Straits Times, 4 November 1998, 4; M. Yasotha, “What’s On,” Business Times, 31 October 1998, 22. (From NewspaperSG)
108. Singapore Art Museum, Imaging Selves: Singapore Art Museum Collection Exhibition Series 1998–1999. (1998). (Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, 1998) (Call no. RSING 759.95 IMA); “Page 13 Miscellaneous Column 3,” Straits Times, 6 April 1999, 13. (From NewspaperSG)
109. “See Works of Art in Toilet, Drains and Other Corners,” Straits Times, 12 December 1998, 4. (From NewspaperSG)
110. T. K. Sabapathy, Provocative Things: A 3-Dimensional Experience in Singapore (Singapore: Sculpture Square, 1999), 41 (Call no. RSING 730.95957 SAB); Sian E. Jay, “Facing Up to Artistic Space,” Straits Times, 2 November 1999, 7. (From NewspaperSG)
111. Parvathi Nayar, “Art with a Heart,” Business Times, 18 December 1999, 18. (From NewspaperSG)
112. Sian E. Jay, “Hello, Come and Be Bowled Over,” Straits Times, 3 December 1999, 10. (From NewspaperSG)
113. Sian E. Jay, “Remembrance of Art Past,” Straits Times, 3 November 2000, 7. (From NewspaperSG)
114. Cheah Ui-Hoon, “Views of 2nd-Generation S’pore Artists,” Business Times, 18 November 2000, 24. (From NewspaperSG)
115. Cheah Ui-Hoon, “Land Marks,” Business Times, 28 October 2000, 21. (From NewspaperSG)
116. Venka Purushothaman, “New Creation Lacks Energy,” Business Times, 27 January 2001, 19. (From NewspaperSG)
117. Clara Chow, “High Tension,” Straits Times, 12 September 2001, 7. (From NewspaperSG)
118. Telok Kurau Studios, Telok Kurau Studios 2001 (Singapore: Telok Kurau Studios, 2001). (Call no. RSING 709.5957 TKS)
119. National Arts Council, National Heritage Board and Singapore Tourism Board, Ingression, Impression; Arthur Sim, “Art That Will Nokia off Your Feet,” Straits Times, 8 December 2001, 6–7. (From NewspaperSG)
120. Janice Lee, “Paper, Glass, Soul,” Today, 23 August 2002, 32. (From NewspaperSG)
121. Suhaila Sulaiman, “Abstract Origins,” Straits Times, 14 November 2002, 6. (From NewspaperSG)
122. Telok Kurau Studios, (2002). Telok Kurau Studios 2002 (Singapore: Telok Kurau Studios, 2002), page of grand opening ceremony message for Mr Kwee Liong Keng. (Call no. RSING 709.5957 TKS)
123. T. K. Sabapathy, et al. ed., Past, Present, Beyond: Re-nascence of an Art Collection (Singapore: NUS Museum, 2002), page facing title page. (Call no. RSING q709.5 PAS)
124. “Page 10 Miscellaneous Column 5,” Straits Times, 3 November 2003, 10 (From NewspaperSG); T. K. Sabapathy, ed., See It, Feel It, Love It: Art Derived from Chinese Calligraphy: Recent Works by Ho Ho Ying and Teo Eng Seng (Singapore: Modern Art Society, 2003), 22–25. (Call no. RSING 745.619951074 SEE)
125. Telok Kurau Studios, Telok Kurau Studios 2003 (Singapore: Telok Kurau Studios, 2003). (Call no.: RSING 709.5957 TKS)
126. Noorhayati bte Mohd Ismail, Crossroads: The Making of New Identities (Singapore: NUS Museums, National University of Singapore, 2040), 69. (Call no. RSING 709.5957 CRO)
127. National Arts Council, Singapore, Singapore’s Visual Artists, 505–06; “Page 8 Miscellaneous Column 1,” Straits Times, 3 January 2005, 8. (From NewspaperSG)
128. National Arts Council, Singapore, Singapore’s Visual Artists, 505–06; “Page 8 Miscellaneous Column 1,” Straits Times, 8 August 2005, 8. (From NewspaperSG)
129. National Arts Council, Singapore, Singapore’s Visual Artists, 505–06.
130. National Arts Council, Singapore, Singapore’s Visual Artists, 505–06.
131. National Arts Council, Singapore, Singapore’s Visual Artists, 505–06.
132. Muhammad Salihin Sulaiman, “Pelukis Pelapis Bervisi,” Berita Harian, 29 December 2005, 9. (From NewspaperSG)
133. Fan Di'an and Kwok Kian Chow, eds., Encounters, 135; National Arts Council, Singapore, Singapore’s Visual Artists, 505–06.
134. Chow, “Come On, Break New Ground.”
135. Wu Qiji 吴启基, “39 Ming di er dai huajia lianzhan 3000 sui di meili mianrong” 39名第二代画家联展 3000岁的美丽面容 [39 second-generation artists group exhibition: The beautiful face of 3000 years of age], Lianhe Zaobao联合早报 , 9 July 2009, 6. (From NewspaperSG)
136. National Arts Council, Singapore, Singapore’s Visual Artists, 505–06.
137. “What’s Up This Week… and the Weeks Ahead,” Straits Times, 15 April 2011, 10. (From NewspaperSG)
138. Akshita Nanda, “Arts Picks,” Straits Times, 7 March 2014, 10; Huang Lijie, “Old-Timers’ Works Trace History of Art,” Straits Times, 5 February 2014, 8. (From NewspaperSG)
139. Leong Weng Kam, “Art Boost for Sino-S’pore Cultural Exchange,” Straits Times, 22 November 2015, 21. (From NewspaperSG)
140. Bruce Quek, “The Good and the Bad from The Singapore Art Show,” Today, 7 October 2017, 66. (From NewspaperSG)
141. “Artists Make a Pitch for Flea Market,” Straits Times, 19 June 2017, 8. (From NewspaperSG)
142. Toh Wen Li, “A Critique of Tough Times,” Straits Times, 11 June 2011.
143. “Art in Transit Tour Highlights,” Land Transport Authority, Singapore, accessed 4 May 2020.
144. National Arts Council, National Heritage Board and Singapore Tourism Board, Ingression, Impression.
145. Sabapathy, 20 Singapore Artists, 25; Contemporary Art in Singapore, n.p.
146. Sabapathy, 20 Singapore Artists, 25; Contemporary Art in Singapore, n.p.
147. Sabapathy, 20 Singapore Artists, 25; Contemporary Art in Singapore, n.p.
148. Sabapathy, 20 Singapore Artists, 25; Contemporary Art in Singapore, n.p.; National Arts Council, Singapore, Singapore’s Visual Artists, 505–06.
149. Sabapathy, 20 Singapore Artists, 25.
150. Sabapathy, 20 Singapore Artists, 25.
151. Sabapathy, 20 Singapore Artists, 25.
152. National Arts Council, Singapore, Histories, Identities, Technologies, Spaces, artist biodata.
153. National Arts Council, Singapore, Histories, Identities, Technologies, Spaces, artist biodata; Sabapathy, Art and Thoughts, 156; National Arts Council, Singapore, 154. National Arts Council, Singapore, Singapore’s Visual Artists, 505–06.
155. National Arts Council, Singapore, Singapore’s Visual Artists, 505–06.
156. Sabapathy, Art and Thoughts, 156.
157. Singapore Art Society, Contemporary Singapore Artists, 57.
158. Singapore Art Society, Contemporary Singapore Artists, 57.
159. Singapore Art Society, Contemporary Singapore Artists, 57.
160. Thang Kiang How, et al., New Directions 1980–1987: Modern Paintings in Singapore (Singapore: Horizon Pub., 1987), 31. (Call no. RSING 759.95957 NEW)
161. Julia Goh, “16-Artist Panel Formed to Help Arts Council,” Straits Times, 24 July 1992, 3. (From NewspaperSG)
162. National Arts Council, Singapore, Annual Report 2006/07, 50.
163. Lee, “Schoolboy with a Dream.”
164. Chow, “Ah Long Journey.”
165. Lee, “Schoolboy with a Dream”; Tan, “Still Climbing at 72”; Leong Weng Kam, “A Sanctuary for Art,” Straits Times, 17 August 2006, 4. (From NewsapaperSG)



The information in this article is valid as of May 2020 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.


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