See that depiction of an idyllic Malayan village scene on the back of Singapore's $50 bill? It's an artwork from 1978 called Drying Salted Fish, by pioneer master Cheong Soo Pieng. Now, get to know the artist behind it at artcommune gallery’s latest exhibition: Tonalities: The Ink Works of Cheong Soo Pieng.
No stranger to the Nanyang-style art movement in Singapore, the country's pioneer art master Cheong Soo Pieng is also one of the most innovative Chinese artists of the 20th century. This will be the first-ever retrospective survey of the artist's entire body of ink work. Look forward to over 100 ink exhibits that showcase different periods of Soo Pieng's career, including never-before-seen works from his final years.
Curated by historian Tan Yong Jun and spanning the period of 1949 to 1983, the exhibition features works that are loaned from a vast array of collectors, many of which are being exhibited for the first time. It presents an in-depth investigation into the styles and themes that mark the different periods of Soo Pieng’s career.
Through the showcase at Artspace @ Helutrans, witness how the artist's overseas painting sojourns have shaped his oeuvre – from the historic 1952 Bali trip with Liu Kang, Chen Wen Hsi and Chen Chong Swee which culminated in the birth of a regionally influential Nanyang art style, encounters with Europe's post-war contemporary art, and a reimagination of Chinese classicism after returning from China.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view an extensive collection of Cheong Soo Pieng's works. However, be sure to follow current social distancing measures and stick pairs when visiting the gallery.