Tay Bak Koi, Gathering with Buffaloes, Undated, Watercolour on paper, 70 x 54 cm, Collection of the Estate of Tay Bak Koi

Singaporean artist Tay Bak Koi (1939-2003) studied at NAFA from 1957 to 1960 under the tutelage of pioneer artists including Georgette Chen and Cheong Soo Pieng. Encouraged by his teachers to venture boldly beyond what was conventional, it was the spirit of experimentation that fuelled and shaped Tay’s artistic practice and his fame as a painter. Tay had held at least 14 solo shows and numerous group exhibitions locally, and his works were commissioned by the Singapore government and corporations in his lifetime. His tranquil and otherworldly scenes of roaming buffaloes and fishermen in waiting were perhaps his most well-known motifs. Tay’s oeuvre also includes realistic and abstract works in oil and watercolour that demonstrate his artistic sensibilities and mastery of the mediums. The exhibition features a selection of works from the artist’s family, some of which had never been shown before—offering us a glimpse of the artist’s reveries, ones that celebrate the value of an authentic life.

Venue: The Ngee Ann Kongsi Galleries 1 & 2, NAFA Campus 1, 80 Bencoolen Street, Singapore 189655

When: 19 Aug - 3 Sep 2023,

By: NAFA