Masterpieces of Ink and Calligraphy Exhibition – Ling Cher Eng, Phua Cheng Phue, Fan Chang Tien and Liu Kang

Synopsis

Visual Arts Centre will be hosting an exhibition of ink painting and calligraphy artworks by four of Singapore’s national treasures – Ling Cher Eng, Phua Cheng Phue, Fan Chang Tien and Liu Kang – from October 5 to October 11, 2023,. The exhibition will run for seven days from October 5 to October 11, featuring the early ink works of the four painters during their lifetime, including calligraphy, birds and flowers, landscapes and figures. A total of more than 50 posthumous works of the painters. The exhibition is well supported by the painters’ families, who have come up with works they have treasured for many years, giving us the opportunity to display the painters’ posthumous works to the public for a visit, so that art lovers will have the opportunity to appreciate the authenticity of these late painters, learn from the artists, and appreciate the excellent works of these four late painters’ painters at the same time as we all join together to remember these late painters and commemorate the contributions that they have made to the arts in Singapore. We will learn from the painting techniques and styles of our predecessors, and pass on the Chinese tradition of ink painting to the next generation.

Event Details

Free Public Admission

Date & Time: 5 Oct 2023 – 11 Oct 2023, 11am to 8pm Daily

5 Oct 2023, 7pm Exhibition Opening [By private invitation only]

Venue: Visual Arts Centre Dhoby Ghaut Exhibition Gallery

Special Programme

8 October, 3pm-4:30pm

Art of Ink – Taste of Tea

Sign up by clicking here!

Ling Cher Eng’s Artworks Available – Plum Blossoms, Birds and Flowers, Landscape, and Portraits –

Ling Cher Eng

Tropical Paradise In Xishuangbanna

Ink and colour on paper

73 x 33cm

$6,800

Ling Cher Eng

Kampung Village

Ink and colour on paper

69 x 40cm

$9,800

Ling Cher Eng

Resilience & Rigour (1978)

Ink and colour on paper

71 x 68cm

$7,800

Phua Cheng Phue (1934 – 2004) graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and is proficient in oils, watercolours, Chinese finger-painting, as well as Chinese ink and brush painting. Learning directly after the first generation artist Cheong Soo Pieng, Phua was also influenced by Cheong in his fondness for depicting portraits of Balinese ladies going about various activities.

He has received several awards including the National Day Excellence Award in 1976 and the Dr Tan Tsze Chor Award in 1988. Phua’s artworks are collected by corporations and museums.

Phua Cheng Phue
Resting underneath the tree
Ink and colour on paper
70 x 70cm
$12,800

Phua Cheng Phue
Balinese ladies and fruits
Ink and colour on paper
83 x 51cm

Fan Chang Tien (1907 – 1987), is one of Singapore’s most important and influential pioneer artists. He has contributed greatly to the development of ink painting in Singapore and taught a generation of artists such as Ling Cher Eng, Tan Oe Pang, Chua Ek Kay, amongst others. Fan is known for his elegant yet powerful literati art style, and many of his paintings are accompanied by his writing of poetry, which he composes based on the mood and ambience.

Fan Chang Tien
Bamboo
Ink on paper
33 x 33cm
$4,800

Fan Chang Tien
Mynahs Feeding
Ink on paper
33 x 33cm
$4,800

Fan Chang Tien
Brilliant Flowers In Full Bloom
Ink and colour on paper
33 x 33cm
$4,800

Fan Chang Tien
Bamboo and Rock
Ink and colour on paper
139 x 69cm
$18,900

During the later part of Liu Kang‘s life, he wrote Calligraphy and produced a number of Calligraphy and Chinese ink painting works. Liu Kang graduated from the Xinhua Art Academy in Shanghai, China, and was trained in various art mediums including Chinese ink painting and Western oil painting.

Liu Kang is one of the most important and prominent artists in Singapore, with a recent auction record for his oil painting – ‘Pounding Rice’ (1953) at $698,500, sold on the 2 July 2023 sale with Sotheby’s, breaking the artist’s previous auction record.

Liu Kang
Calligraphy – 天时
Ink on paper
69 x 42cm
$6,900

Liu Kang
Calligraphy – 地利
Ink on paper
69 x 42cm
$6,900

Liu Kang
Calligraphy – 人和
Ink on paper
69 x 42cm
$6,900

Image of ‘Pounding Rice’ (1953) by Liu Kang [Image extracted from Sotheby’s website]

Exhibition Details:

Masterpieces of Ink and Calligraphy Exhibition – Ling Cher Eng, Phua Cheng Phue, Fan Chang Tien and Liu Kang 

Here are the details again!

Exhibition Dates: 5 – 11 October 2023

Opening Hours: 11am – 8pm daily

*Exhibition Opening: 6 October 2023, 6:30pm-9:30pm

Gallery Address: Visual Arts Centre Exhibition Gallery, 10 Penang Road, #01-02 Dhoby Ghaut Green, Singapore 238469

Art and Tea Appreciation Workshop

Special Programme:
8 October, 3pm-4:30pm

Art of Ink – Taste of Tea 

In this 90 minutes session, be immersed in a sensory experience of art and tea and be taken through an elegant and therapeutic session combining the appreciation of Chinese ink painting and High Mountain Oolong tea. Embark on a journey of exploration, seeing, learning, feeling and experimenting to be engaged in a uniquely fresh interpretation of art, and tea. Gain practical insights and useful tips in art and tea appreciation by the end of the session. Iola, curator and founder of Asia Art Collective, and Shumin, tea sommelier and author of ‘The Tea Sommelier’ joins hands to experiment a fresh and innovative presentation for a more cozy and intimate experience of art and ink.

Fee: $48 per person  |  Sign up link:
https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/art-of-ink-taste-of-tea-art-and-tea-appreciation-workshop-tickets-721896952217

Visit the link here to enquire more about our venue hire at

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