Cheong Soo Pieng, Sleeping Lady, 1975, Mixed media, 61.5 x 77 cm
Cheong Soo Pieng: 1970s Mature Abstract Works is a showcase of over 10 significant abstract and mixed media works by the Singapore pioneer master. More than any of his Nanyang contemporaries, Soo Pieng worked prolifically across styles and mediums, and his body of work reflects a tireless interrogation of traditional forms and values. After his sojourns around Europe – Italy, England, Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium – from 1961-63, Soo Pieng’s practice gravitated towards largely abstract and mixed media work in the following decade. By the late 1960s, his pictorial expressions had departed completely from his earlier Paris School influences and revealed his preoccupation with pushing the format and formal qualities of painting as an expansive and indeterminate language.
Soo Pieng’s mature abstract output in the 1970s is synonymous with the most accomplished artistic period of his career. However, due to the scarcity of oral and written materials left behind by the artist, the abstract series of this period are amongst his least understood works, and scholars and audience have struggled to contextualise their complex forms and meanings. The 1970s mature abstract works featured in this exhibition range from mixed media metal relief works to abstract ink on paper, throwing the spotlight on Soo Pieng’s exploration of a new artistic discourse and his continuous strive for original expressions during this period.
Venue: artcommune gallery, 76 Bras Basah Road #01-01, Carlton Hotel, Singapore 189558
When: 5 - 21 Apr 2024, 12noon - 7pm
