Cheong Soo Pieng, Guilin Scene, 1980, ink on paper mounted on cloth.
In celebration of the centenary of Singapore artist Cheong Soo Pieng’s birth, this exhibition focuses extensively on drawings and sketches made over his lifetime.
The exhibition presents more than 120 drawings and related works from private collections in Singapore, including oil paintings, mixed media and Chinese ink.
Cheong Soo Pieng (1917 – 1983) was one of the first artists to give primary significance to the cultural landscape of Singapore. His work has often been set alongside that of his peers Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi, Liu Kang and Georgette Chen. As a prominent member of the Singapore Art Society, and designated by scholars as a leader of the Nanyang style, Soo Pieng’s art covers many genres, mediums and expressions. Perhaps amongst his most important contributions are the personification of the people of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia; and his development of abstraction in a local context.
The parts of his practice that abetted these major areas of art development were his persistency in drawing wherever he went, and the great curiosity that he held for materials. From these he made some of his most distinct artworks – artworks that allow Singapore art from the 1950s onward to be seen in an international arena.
Exhibition Tours:
Saturday 8 & 15 July 2.30 pm (in English)
Sunday 16 July 3 pm (in Chinese)
Venue: Artspace@Helutrans, 39 Keppel Road 01-05, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore 089065
When: 23 Jun - 22 Jul 2017, 12 pm to 6 pm Monday to Saturday; 12 pm to 5 pm Sunday
By: T.H.E.O. Arts Professionals
