Goh Ee Choo (b. 12 December 1962, Singapore–) is an established Singaporean contemporary artist who uses multiple mediums in his work.1 He has won many awards, among them the Jurors’ Choice in the Philip Morris Singapore Art Awards, and the Honourable Mention at the Sixth Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh.2 Goh has participated in numerous exhibitions in Singapore and internationally. He has taught art at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and LASALLE College of the Arts.3
Art education
Goh received his Diploma in Fine Arts from NAFA in 1985.4 In 1988, he was awarded the British Council Fellowship in Fine Arts and furthered his art education at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, England. He graduated from the school in 1990 with a Master in Fine Arts.5
Scholarships that Goh received included the Lee Foundation Scholarship in 1984/5 and the Lee Foundation Overseas Scholarship, United Kingdom, in 1989.6
Influence and philosophy
Goh believes in the human will and man’s freedom to think. Goh’s first solo exhibition “Power Structure”, for example, is about how “social structure and Life are conditioned and distorted by the Power Structure”. He feels that people are so conditioned that they never wonder if there is an alternative to the norms that they know. Rather than destroying the structure, Goh wants to expand it or create an alternative reality for people.7
A Taoist who later became a follower of Tibetan Buddhism, the embodiment of the life of any subject is of great importance to Goh. In a series of work titled The Theory of Substantialism, Goh dealt with the physical nature of things and their inevitable disintegration.8
Accomplishments
Goh has taken part in major national and international exhibitions in as far afield as France, Denmark and the United States. Since picking up the Tan Tsze Chor Art Award for Young Artists in 1985, he has won a string of other awards, including the Honourable Mention at the Sixth Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh.9 In 1999, he participated in Visual Artivity and Artists Among Students, organised as part of the Arts Education Programme offered by the National Arts Council.10
Selected exhibitions
1980: Singapore Festival of Arts, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore11
1983: First ASEAN Youth Painting Workshop & Exhibition, Bangkok, Thailand12 / National Day Art Exhibition, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore / First Sculpture Workshop and Exhibition, LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore13
1985: Environmental Art Workshop and Exhibition, Goethe-Institut Art Gallery, Singapore14 / East Meets West, Alliance Francaise, Singapore / Australian Art Award Exhibition, Australian High Commission, Singapore15
1986: Not the Singapore River, Arbour Fine Art Gallery, Singapore16 / Shell Inaugural Discovery Art Exhibition, Shell Tower, Singapore17 / Singapore Festival of Arts, Arbour Fine Art, Singapore18 / United Overseas Bank Painting of the Year Exhibition, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore19 / Contemporary Singapore Artists’ Exhibition, Grand Palais, Paris, France20
1987: Quintet, Arbour Fine Art Gallery, Singapore21 / First Australian and Regional Artists’ Exchange Workshop and Exhibition, Black Swan Gallery, Fremantle, Australia / National Museum Centenary Art Exhibition, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore22
1988: Trimurti, Goethe-Institut, Singapore23 / Singapore Contemporary Artists, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore and Pao Sui Loong Galleries, Hong Kong24 / Masterpieces from the Private Collections, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore.
1989: Third Asian Art Show, Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan.
1990: Singapore Artists Speak, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore / Slade Printmakers Show, Reading Art Centre, United Kingdom / Slade Postgraduate Final Year Show, Pearson Gallery, London.25
1991: Power Structure, Goethe-Institut, Singapore26 / Many-In-One: 25 Years of Art from Singapore Travelling Exhibition, United States / 2nd ASEAN Painting and Photography Travelling Exhibition, ASEAN Countries Art Museum / International Watercolour Exhibition, South Korea and Japan.
1992: International Watercolour Exhibition, Taiwan.
1993: The Rite of Silence, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore / Art in Asia, World Trade Centre, Singapore27 / The Co-Exhibition of Four Asian Artists, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan.
1994: Asian Art Biennale, Bangladesh Shipakala Academy, Dhaka28 / A Window on Singapore Art Travelling Exhibition, China and Hong Kong29 / 3rd ASEAN Painting and Photography Travelling Exhibition, various ASEAN countries30 / 5 Directions: Recent Works by Five Young Singaporean Artists, Takashimaya Art Gallery, Singapore31
1995: Four Currents: Creative Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia/Contemporary Art from Non-Aligned Countries, National Art Gallery, Indonesia32
1996: Container 96: Art Across the Ocean, Copenhagen, Denmark33 / Beyond Boundaries, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore34
1998: Trimurti and Ten Years After, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore35
1999: A Brave New World, Soobin Art Gallery, Singapore36
2002: New Works, Art Motion Gallery, Singapore37
Selected awards
1985: Tan Tsze ChorArt Award for Young Artists, Singapore Art Society, Singapore38
1985: Environmental Art Award (Consolation prize), Goethe-Institut, Singapore.
1986: Painting of the Year Award (First prize, Representation Section), United Overseas Bank, Singapore / Kallang Theatre Expression Art Competition – Consolation Prize, Kallang Theatre, Singapore.
1988: British Council Fellowship in Fine Arts, the British Council, Singapore
1993: Honourable mention, Sixth Asian Art Biennale, Bangladesh.39
1994: JCCI Art Award, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Singapore / Swatch Street Painting (First prize), Swatch Singapore40
1996: Jurors’ Choice, Philip Morris ASEAN Art Awards, Singapore41
1999: Jurors’ Choice, Philip Morris ASEAN Art Awards, Singapore42
Author
Mok Mei Feng
References
1. Southeast Asian art today. (1996). Singapore: Roeder Publications Pte. Ltd., p. 171. (Call no.: RSING 709.59 SOU)
2. Sankaran, R. (1994, September 21). Goh Ee Choo receives special award for his works in Dhaka art Fest. The Straits Times, p. 11. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Ooi, K. C. (1996, August 13). Esquillo Jr looks good for the award. New Straits Times. Retrieved from ProQuest via NLB’s eResources website: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/
3. Huang, L. (2014, July 8). Forget them not. The Straits Times, pp. 2-3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
4. Goh, E. C. (1996). Beyond boundaries, 21–24 January 1996: Works by Goh Ee Choo & Saleh Japar. Singapore: Golden Earth Printers, p. 22. (Call no.: RSING 759.95957 GOH)
5. Lee, S. C. (1991, June 3). Breaking away. The Straits Times, p. 45; Huang, L. (2014, July 8). Forget them not. The Straits Times, pp. 2-3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Goh, E. C. (1996). Beyond boundaries, 21–24 January 1996: Works by Goh Ee Choo & Saleh Japar. Singapore: Golden Earth Printers, p. 22. (Call no.: RSING 759.95957 GOH)
6. 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG.
7. Lee, S. C. (1991, June 3). Breaking away. The Straits Times, p. 45. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
8. Southeast Asian art today. (1996). Singapore: Roeder Publications Pte. Ltd., p. 171. (Call no.: RSING 709.59 SOU)
9. Sankaran, R. (1994, September 21). Goh Ee Choo receives special award for his works in Dhaka art fest. The Straits Times, p. 11. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Lim, R. (Ed.). (1990). Singapore artists speak. Singapore: C. H. Yeo, p. 43. (Call no.: RSING 709.5957 SIN); Singapore National Museum. (1991). Many in one: 25 years of art from Singapore. Singapore: National Museum, Plate 15. (Cal no.: RSING 759.95957 MAN)
10. Tuminah Sapawi. (1998, November 18). It’s OK, you can destroy school walls. The Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
11. 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG.
12. Goh, E. C. (1996). Beyond boundaries, 21–24 January 1996: Works by Goh Ee Choo & Saleh Japar. Singapore: Golden Earth Printers, p. 22. (Call no.: RSING 759.95957 GOH); 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG.
13. 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG.
14. Goh, E. C. (1996). Beyond boundaries, 21–24 January 1996: Works by Goh Ee Choo & Saleh Japar. Singapore: Golden Earth Printers, p. 22. (Call no.: RSING 759.95957 GOH)
15. 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG.
16. Goh, E. C. (1996). Beyond boundaries, 21–24 January 1996: Works by Goh Ee Choo & Saleh Japar. Singapore: Golden Earth Printers. (Call no.: RSING 759.95957 GOH)
17. 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG.
18. What’s on. (1986, June 3). The Straits Times, p. 17. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
19. Goh, E. C. (1996). Beyond boundaries, 21–24 January 1996: Works by Goh Ee Choo & Saleh Japar. Singapore: Golden Earth Printers. (Call no.: RSING 759.95957 GOH); 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG.
20. 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG.
21. Sabapathy, T. K. (1987, May 14). Art on the ceiling, walls and floor. The Straits Times, p. 25. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Sabapathy, T. K. (Ed.). (1998). Trimurti and ten years after. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, p. 66. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 TRI)
22. 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG.
23. Sabapathy, T. K. (Ed.). (1998). Trimurti and ten years after. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, p. 66. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 TRI)
24. Sabapathy, T. K. (1988, May 11). Local art goes to HK. The Straits Times, p. 33. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
25. 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG.
26. Jayanti, K. (1991, June 15). Exhibitions. The Business Times, p. 28. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Sabapathy, T. K. (Ed.). (1998). Trimurti and ten years after. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, p. 66. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 TRI)
27. 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG.
28. Sabapathy, T. K. (Ed.). (1998). Trimurti and ten years after. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, p. 66. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 TRI)
29. Goh, B. C. (1994, March 12). Ambassadors of art. The Straits Times, p. 22. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
30. 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG.
31. Jayanti, K. (1994, November 12). Exhibitions. The Straits Times, p. 37. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Sabapathy, T. K. (Ed.). (1998). Trimurti and ten years after. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, p. 88. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 TRI)
32. Sabapathy, T. K. (Ed.). (1998). Trimurti and ten years after. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, p. 66. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 TRI)
33. Goh, E. C. (1996). Beyond boundaries, 21–24 January 1996: Works by Goh Ee Choo & Saleh Japar. Singapore: Golden Earth Printers. (Call no.: RSING 759.95957 GOH)
34. Sabapathy, T. K. (Ed.). (1998). Trimurti and ten years after. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, p. 66. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 TRI)
35. Yasotha, M. (1988, November 21). What’s on. The Business Times, p. 24. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
36. Yasotha, M. (1999, January 8). What’s on. The Business Times, p. 26. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
37. Chow, C. (2002, December 9). No shocks, just lots of fun. The Straits Times, p. 9. Retrieved from NewpaperSG.
38. Lim, R. (Ed.). (1990). Singapore artists speak. Singapore: C. H. Yeo, p. 43. (Call no.: RSING 709.5957 SIN); Singapore National Museum. (1991). Many in one: 25 years of art from Singapore. Singapore: National Museum, Plate 15. (Call no.: RSING 759.95957 MAN)
39. 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG; Huang, L. (2014, July 8). Forget them not. The Straits Times, pp. 2-3; Sankaran, R. (1994, September 21). Goh Ee Choo receives special award for his works in Dhaka art Fest. The Straits Times, p. 11. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
40. 5 directions: Recent artworks by five young Singapore artists. (1994). Singapore: Takashimaya Gallery, p. 17. Available via PublicationSG.
41. Ooi, K. C. (1996, August 13). Esquillo Jr looks good for the award. New Straits Times. Retrieved from ProQuest via NLB’s eResources website: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/
42. Nayar, P. (1999, August 28). Winning works by Singapore artists. The Straits Times, p. 10. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
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