The Spirit of Ink

хвич╖г The Spirit of Ink

Lim Tze Peng Lim Tze Peng

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хвич╖г The Spirit of Ink

Lim Tze Peng

Contents

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Foreword by Ode To Art

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Note by the Director, Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum

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About Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum

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Early Scenes of Singapore

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Roots

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Abstract Calligraphy

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Timeline

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Biography

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One of the greatest joys of working with artists is bearing witness to their journey. To watch their transition from being exponents of their environment to that of their own personal ambitions, progressively meditating through medium and expression to reach new creative catharsis. I gratefully count myself fortunate to have seen many such journeys in progress; and few have been as awe-inspiring as that of Lim Tze Peng’s. From school teacher to artist to a creative force to be reckoned with, Lim Tze Peng stands as a living monument to discipline, dedication and a deep passion that many go their whole lives searching for. For him to bare his soul through his art and share with us this epic journey through the years, we are beyond grateful.

I am ever grateful to Mr Lim Tze Peng, a definitive contemporary ink artist, a teacher I look up to and a mentor who has imparted much wisdom over the years. We hope that this exhibition does justice to his phenomenal art, showing both the length and breadth of his work, from his paintings of olden Singapore to his deeply reflective contemporary pieces that push the boundaries of calligraphy. We are humbled and honoured to have had the opportunity to work with him.

It is important to note that this exhibition would not have been possible without the following organisations – Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, the Consulate-General of the Republic of Singapore in Mumbai, IDF Singapore, DBS Bank, and PSA International. Thank you for the concerted efforts and initiatives taken to make this exhibition a dream come true. We are truly humbled and delighted to be able to showcase Lim Tze Peng’s cherished works in Mumbai, India. We would also like to thank many of our friends and loyal patrons who have been supporting local artists for the past decades and earnestly encouraging us in our pursuit of the arts.

This year, 2019, also marks Singapore’s Bicentennial, the 200th anniversary of Sir Stamford Raffles’ arrival in Singapore. This exhibition is momentous as it marks another milestone of Lim Tze Peng – exhibiting internationally. Having previously exhibited in England and subsequently in Beijing and Shanghai, China, it is with great honour that we are now able to exhibit his works in one of the most populous nations in the world today. We will always cherish this honour given to our gallery, to be able to share the work of our national treasure with so many.

Jazz Chong, Director Ode To Art

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The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum is delighted to collaborate with IDF Singapore, Ode To Art, and the Consulate-General of the Republic of Singapore to present the artworks of Singaporean artist Lim Tze Peng. The Museum is the oldest Museum in Mumbai, opened to the public in 1857. Since its restoration in 2008, the Museum has hosted several important international historical and contemporary art exhibitions, and we are happy to include Singapore artist Lim Tze Peng among the eminent artists we have presented. Collaborative exhibitions at the Museum aim to promote intercultural exchanges as well as to provide a public platform for Indian and international art.

‘The Spirit of Ink’ features a selection of artworks by Lim Tze Peng, veteran calligraphy artist. The exhibition traces the artist’s oeuvre, through his long career. The artist transforms the traditional brushstroke of Chinese calligraphy into a contemporary idiom creating dynamic works of art full of a tensile energy. Lim Tze Peng’s artworks will be on display in Mumbai, and India for the first time. The exhibition is presented as an effort to encourage cultural exchange within South Asia and Southeast Asia, and is planned in conjunction with the Singapore Bicentennial and National Day celebrations.

The Museum offers a variety of education programmes to socially and linguistically diverse audience groups to engage with historic legacies both local and international, contemporary art practices, as well as design and craft traditions. Through the duration of the exhibition, guided visits and interpretative workshops will be made available to visitors in English, Hindi and Marathi to expand their understanding of the artist and the art works.

Tasneem Zakaria Mehta Managing Trustee and Honorary Director Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai

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The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum opened to the public in 1857 and is Mumbai’s oldest museum. It is the erstwhile Victoria and Albert Museum, Bombay, which showcases the city’s art and culture through a rare collection of fine and decorative arts that highlight early Modern Art practices as well as the craftsmanship of various communities of the Bombay Presidency.

The Museum was in a derelict condition and underwent a comprehensive five-year restoration

by INTACH supported by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation. The project won UNESCO’s international Award of Excellence for cultural conservation in 2005. The Museum re-opened in 2008 with an extensive exhibition and education programme which explores the importance of the collection and includes a strong focus on contemporary art and culture.

The Museum has partnered with several international institutions to showcase artists and exhibitions including the Victoria and Albert Museum, British Library, Solomon R Guggenheim Museum and Museum of Modern Art in an effort to facilitate international cultural exchange.

The Museum’s education and outreach programme aims to build and diversify the Museum’s audiences. On offer is a rich selection of programmes including film, music and courses and lectures on history of art focused on providing stimulating, participatory experiences that respond to different age, interest and language groups, and recognize a diversity of backgrounds. These experiences are aimed at encouraging critical engagement with Mumbai’s history, art and cultural developments.

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It is a great honour to collaborate on this exhibition

On behalf of the Singapore Consulate-General in

of the exceptionally talented Singaporean artist Lim

Mumbai, it is my pleasure to present the works of

Tze Peng - the first exhibition of such a nationally

Lim Tze Peng, a self-taught Singaporean artist and

revered Singaporean artist - in India. This year

Cultural Medallion Award winner (2003). Tze Peng is

marks the 200th anniversary of Sir Stamford

known for his Chinese ink paintings, where amongst

Raffles’ founding of colonial Singapore and we are

others he skilfully uses Chinese calligraphy painting

pleased to present the exhibition as part of the

techniques to bring to life scenes of Singapore such

Singapore’s Bicentennial celebrations.

as those in Chinatown and the Singapore River. This is a testament of Singapore’s status as a melting pot,

At 99 years old, the nonagenarian is one of the

where amongst others, art and food draw influences

oldest and most successful living Singaporean

from different cultures and communities to form

artists, but these are by no means his most

creations which are uniquely Singaporean. As Prime

distinctive attributes or accomplishments. Lim

Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, “Being Singaporean

has been enormously prolific in his career, having

has never been a matter of subtraction, but of addition;

had multiple solo exhibitions at National Museum

not of becoming less, but more; not of limitation and

Singapore and the Singapore Art Museum, as well

contraction, but of openness and expansion.”

as having exhibited solo internationally in China. His practice is skilful, dignified, and earnest. Seemingly

Singapore and India historically enjoys strong

unconcerned by the value of his pieces, he has

people to people ties, with Singapore’s Indian

painted tirelessly, in an unfaltering endeavour to find

Heritage Centre celebrating the culture, heritage

meaning through his practice. Lim is the epitome

and history of Singaporean Indians. I am confident

of artistic integrity with his tireless pursuit for

that this exhibition will be a success and provide an

breakthrough in his craft.

important boost to the cultural exchanges between our peoples.

I wish to express my gratitude to our partners: Ode to Art, with whom we first conceived the idea of this

Gavin Chay

exhibition in India and who have curated the works

Consul-General of the Republic of Singapore

presented; the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, who

Mumbai

have generously offered their beautiful space for us to show the works; and the Singapore Consulate in Mumbai, who are supporting us in fostering this cultural exchange between Singapore and India.

Rajshree Pathy, IDF Singapore

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DBS Bank is delighted to support the work of Lim Tze Peng, one of Singapore’s most accomplished and prolific artists. Commemorating the National Day of Singapore, Lim’s work is a reflection of Singapore’s undying spirit and spectacular lineage.

DBS Bank believes that this first-of-its-kind experience will inspire Indian audiences to learn about interesting nuances of Singapore’s cultural and aesthetic identity. It is a celebration of the commonalities between the vibrant and unique cultures of the two countries. Lim’s art is symbolic of the country’s eclectic energy and the symphony of sounds among the cacophony. These elements are true for India, as they are for Singapore.

As a bank born and brought up in Asia, we see the growing cultural and trade exchanges between Singapore and India as a unique opportunity for both countries to harness each other’s strengths positively. The initiative is an embodiment of DBS’ ‘Live more, bank less’ ethos, encouraging customers to immerse themselves into meaningful and enriching experiences.

Surojit Shome DBS Bank India Limited Chief Executive Officer

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PSA International believes that it is our

At PSA, we pledge to continuously improve and

responsibility to give back to communities

innovate every aspect of our business, which is why

through our continuous support for charitable

Lim’s ceaseless experimentation also inspires us. In

social causes and art projects around the

his later years, Lim even took a quantum leap forward

world. We are glad to support the exhibition of

to establish his signature ‘hutuzi’ –

Singapore’s living legend, Lim Tze Peng, who will

a captivating dance of brushstrokes to capture

be turning 99 this year.

expression over literal meaning that eventually disperses into pure abstraction. Lim’s mastery of

Standing resolute in the face of time to

calligraphy is a testament to his years of dedication

continuously tread new boundaries in his art form,

to his passion and craft.

the nonagenarian has received international and local acclaim. Lim’s most notable achievements

In the spirit of giving, the big-hearted artist has also

include being the first Singaporean to have a solo

donated his paintings to various institutions such

exhibition at the National Art Museum of China,

as his alma mater, Chung Cheng High School, and

receiving the Cultural Medallion Award in 2003

Singapore museums. As such, we would like to thank

and subsequently the Meritorious Service Medal

him for his outstanding contribution to Singapore’s

in 2016.

art scene, congratulate him on his first solo exhibition in India and wish him good health and happiness in

It is a considerable feat to summarise Lim’s work

the years to come.

in mere sentences and still fully encapsulate the way he has revolutionised traditional Chinese

Caroline Lim

calligraphy. His early bustling Chinatown scenes

PSA International

enthral, even as they evoke a sense of nostalgia

Global Head of Human

looking back at the days before Singapore’s rapid

Resource & Corporate Affairs

industrialization, a far cry from the modern city we know today. He exercises control and mastery over the brush, varying them in thickness and length to capture the nuances of everyday life in Singapore. His attentive brushstrokes truly capture the quirky charm of the iconic architecture of Chinatown’s shophouses.

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Early Scenes of Singapore

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Street Market Food Chinese Ink on Paper 67 x 67 cm

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Fruit Stores 67 x 67 cm

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Shophouse Coffee Shop Chinese Ink on Paper 67 x 67 cm

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Busy Day At The Market 67 x 67 cm

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Bumboats and Shophouses Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 45 x 67 cm

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Street food under the Trees Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 68 x 92 cm

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Street Market Wholesalers Chinese Ink on Paper 67 x 67

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Chinatown Market

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Chinese Ink on Paper 67 x 67 cm 9

Street Market 67 x 67 cm

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Chinatown Shophouse and Potted Plants Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 67 x 67 cm

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Shophouse Stores Chinese Ink on Paper 67 x 67

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Bumboats in front of Elgin Bridge Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 67 x 67

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Bumboats on the Singapore River Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 67 x 67

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Sunset at the Singapore River Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 71 x 140 cm

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Bumboats in the Harbour

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Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 120 x 240 cm

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Trade at the Singapore River Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 68 x 135 cm

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Coffeeshops at Chinatown Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 120 x 240

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View of Singapore River Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 70 x 139 cm

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Roots

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Tree Series Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 100 x 100 cm

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Colours Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 100 x 100 cm

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Roots Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 100 x 100 cm

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Abstract Calligraphy

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Untitled Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 100 x 210 cm

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Abstract Calligraphy Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 100 x 100 cm

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Untitled Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 150 x 210 cm

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Untitled Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 150 x 210 cm

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Untitled Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 150 x 210 cm

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Eternity Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 100 x 100 cm

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Spring Dawn by Meng Hao Ran Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 100 x 100 cm

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Untitled Chinese Ink and Pigment on Paper 150 x 210 cm

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Thinking of You by Su Shi Chinese Ink on Paper 180 x 97 cm

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Memories of the Past at Red Cliff by Su Shi Chinese Ink on Paper 180 x 97 cm

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Autumn Ascent of Wan Mountain for Zhang Wu by Meng Haoran Chinese Ink on Paper 180 x 97 cm

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Timeline

1819 Sir Stamford Raffles, along with the British East India Company, lands on Singapore.

1822 Sir Stamford Raffles establishes his master Town Plan, allocating the west of Singapore River to the Chinese which eventually formed Chinatown.

28 September 1921

Born on September 28, in a kampong (village) in Pasir Ris, Lim Tze Peng is the eldest of seven children.

His parents were farmers who reared pigs and chickens while also tapping rubber trees. Some records state Lim’s year of birth as 1923, but this was a false declaration made by the artist to appear younger, with the hope that he would be able to work longer in a job. This is how Singapore then was described by founding father and ex-prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. “The population was less than a million and most of Singapore was covered by mangrove swamps, rubber plantations, and secondary forest because rubber had failed, and forests around Mandai/Bukit Timah took its place.”

c.1930 Beginning of what would later come to be known as the Nanyang Style, a style of painting pioneered

by Singapore’s first generation artists, characterized by an experimental and syncretic approach to pictorial representation.

1 September 1939 Beginning of World War II.

8 February 1942 A young Lim Tze Peng.

The Japanese invade Singapore. (Lim Tze Peng is 20 years old.)

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8–15 February 1942 The Battle of Singapore.

15 February 1942 The Fall of Singapore. British surrender Singapore to the Japanese and the Japanese Occupation begins.

2 September 1945 The Japanese officially surrender, ending World War II.

12 September 1945 The Japanese Surrender Ceremony taking place in front of the Municipal Building on 12 Sep 1945. The Allied soldiers are parading in this ceremony.

The Japanese complete signing all the surrender documents and Singapore is returned to British Colonial rule.

1945

Marriage of Lim Tze Peng to Soh Siew Lay. The couple would eventually have a total of six children. (Lim Tze Peng is 24 years old at the time.)

1948 Lim Tze Peng graduates from Chung Cheng High School, where he had nurtured his talent for calligraphy. As a Chinese-medium school modelled after those in China, Chung Cheng High placed a heavy emphasis on the aesthetic education.

1949 Xin Min School after renovation

Lim Tze Peng begins his teaching career at Sin Ming Primary School.

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1951 Lim Tze Peng and his students out for a drawing class.

Lim Tze Peng is appointed principal of Sin Ming Primary School, where he remained until 1981.

c. 1950s Lim Tze Peng begins establishing his art practice.

3 June 1959 Singapore becomes self-governing city state under the British Crown. This was regarded as a great triumph and a step towards Independence. At the first general elections for a Legislative Assembly, the People’s Action Party’s Lee Kuan Yew becomes Prime Minister. (Lim Tze Peng is 37 years old.)

1960 Lim Tze Peng makes a road trip to Malaya with Choo Keng Kwang, Chen Cheng Mei and Tan Teo Kwang, which would eventually lead to the informal gathering of what would be called the Ten Men Art Group.

The group, led by Yeh Chi Wei, would also include Cheah Phee Chye, Lai Foong Moi, Lee Sik Khoon, Tan Miow Kheng, and Yeo Tiong Wah.

1961

Lim Tze Peng with Yeh Chi Wei during one of their road trips

Yeh Chi Wei with Lim Tze Peng in Kelantan.

Tan Choh Tee, Lim Tze Peng and Hou Hsi-ching in Bali

Lim Tze Peng travels once more to the east coast of Peninsula Malaya with the Ten Men Art Group, where the artists collected photographs, sketches and artifacts.

31 August 1963

Lim sitting in a room with Balinese women, Bali, Indonesia

Lim painting with curious onlookers around him.

Singapore gains de facto independence for the island state and joins the Federation of Malaya along with Borneo (as the State of Sabah) and Sarawak to form Malaysia. (Lim Tze Peng is 41 years old.)

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1963 Lim Tze Peng is awarded with the Public Administration Medal, Singapore.

1964 From Left to Right: Tan Choh Tee, Lim Tze Peng, Hou Hsi-ching, Phua Cheng Phue

The Ten Men Art Exhibition is held at the Victoria Memorial Hall, Singapore. This exhibition featured paintings by Yeh Chi Wei, Lin Chiu Suang, Yeo Hwee Bin, Choo Keng Kwang, Shui Tit Sing, Tan Choo Kuan, Chee Pek Hoe, Tan Hock Beng, Tan Seah Boey and Keng Lih Juin. It was opened by Minister for Culture S. Rajaratnam.

9 August 1965 First Independence Day Celebration. National Day Parade 1966 at the Padang – President Yusof Ishak taking the salute at City Hall

Singapore breaks off from Malaysia to become fully independent. (Lim Tze Peng is 46 years old.)

1967 Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines form the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

1968 Singapore holds its first general elections and the People’s Action Party wins all 58 seats. They remain the central governing party till today.

c. 1970

Painting in Lake Toba, Sumatra, Indonesia on a trip with the Ten Men Art Group.

Lim Tze Peng on the steps of a long house, Medan, Sumatra, 1962

Lim Tze Peng’s first solo exhibition, Singapore. Evolution of the Ten Men Art Group to the Southeast Asian Art Association, a formal entity with Yeh Chi Wei as the president. (Lim Tze Peng is 46 years old.)

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1973 Lim Tze Peng turns his focus from oil painting to ink painting.

1977 The once bustling Singapore River may soon turn into a graveyard for derelict lighters because of the downturn in the cargo handling business. Already, the historic waterway through which Sir Stamford Raffles arrived in singapore is cluttered with rotting, partially submerged and totally sunken lighters. Lighter owners and operators interviewed along Boat Quay said that unless business picked up soon, the river might be filled with derelicts in two years.

A panoramic view of the Singapore River (late 1970s)

Founding father of Singapore and then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew calls for a clean up of the Singapore River, which was heavily polluted due to constant traffic from trade and by the squatters who lived by the river and called it home. He proclaimed that “In 10 years let us have fishing in the Singapore River and Kallang River.�

1977 The Untitled Bali scene that won Lim the Special Prize, Commonwealth Art Exhibition, England (1977).

Lim Tze Peng is awarded the Special Prize from Commonwealth Art Exhibition in England.

1978 Lim Tze Peng is a participant of the Singapore Artists Group Exhibition in Moscow, Russia.

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1961 – c.1980

Lim Tze Peng makes a total of six trips with the Ten Men Art Group to the Malaysian peninsula, Java, Bali, Thailand, Cambodia, Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei and Sumatra, as well as individual trips with Yeh Chi Wei, Liu Kang, Cheong Soo Pieng and Cheng Chong Swee. Lim continued the practice of painting en plein air in his later years, undaunted by the task of carrying his daily sketching supplies with him.

c.1980s The old and the new lie side by side in Chinatown. But soon the old two-storey shophouses will give way to modern highrise buildings. This area, bounded by smith street, sago street, sago lane and new bridge road is being changed by urban redevelopment. Death houses lining sago lane, old hawker stalls in sago street, markets in smith street and other alleyways will soon be history as the area, along with the rest of Chinatown, goes modern.

For hawkers in Chinatown, the year of the tiger will end with a roar.

With ‘roaring’ business, that is – as last minute shoppers throng the streets every night as if anxious to uphold the tradition of welcoming the new year in a big way despite inflation.

Significant publicity in Singapore about the impending ‘cleaning-up’ of Chinatown and the resettling of street hawkers, who would be redirected to the Kreta Ayer Complex. Existing shophouses had been demolished, and there was speculation that the remaining buildings in the area would be completely destroyed to make way for modernity.

1981 Lim Tze Peng is awarded Public Service Medal by Singapore. He retires as principal at Sin Ming Primary School and dedicates himself to painting the changing city-scape of Singapore. (He is 60 at the time.)

1987 The Singapore River Clean-up is completed within the deadline.

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1989 Chinatown is marked as a conservation area, parts of which have their iconic buildings and shophouses preserved.

1990 Lee Kuan Yew steps down as prime minister after 31 years of service and hands over the reins to Goh Chok Tong.

1991 Lim Tze Peng and guests at the opening of the exhibition

Lim Tze Peng holds his 2nd Solo Exhibition: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, in the National Museum of Singapore.

1993 Ong Teng Cheong is Singapore’s first elected president.

1995

Lim Tze Peng holds an exhibition entitled “Moments” at the Takashimaya Gallery in Singapore.

1998

Professor Tommy Koh giving an address at Left to right: Guests with Lim Tze Peng, Meeting Places in Fleeting Spaces Soh Siew Lay, and Professor Tommy Koh

Lim Tze Peng partakes in “Meeting Places in Fleeting Spaces”, an exhibition held by the Singapore Art Museum.

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1999 S R Nathan at the inauguration ceremony held at Istana State Room, where he was sworn in as the sixth President of Singapore. Also present are Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (left) and Chief Justice Yong Pung How (right).

S.R. Nathan is elected as Singapore’s first Indian president.

2000 Lim Tze Peng spends a two-month residency in Paris, France, staying in the Cité Internationale des Arts (International City of Arts). Lim lived in one of the two apartments belonging to the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, leased in the late 1990s for use by artists of the Academy. During his stay, Lim documented the Parisian landscape en plein air. As a self-taught artist who learned from the works of Matisse and Picasso, and who names Cézanne as his favourite painter, Lim’s residency in the French capital inspired and renewed him. In his own words, it was a visit to the ‘mecca’ for artists of generations, past and future.

(He is 79 years old.)

c. 2000

Lim Tze Peng begins developing a new series of abstract calligraphic expression: 糊涂字 hu tu zi, which emphasized the expressiveness and elegance of strokes in calligraphy.

2002 The landmark Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay opens. It is widely regarded as Singapore’s centre for the Arts.

2003

Lim Tze Peng is awarded the Cultural Medallion Award for Art in Singapore. (He is 82 years old.)

2003

Lim Tze Peng giving an address at the opening of his eponymous exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum

Lim Tze Peng presenting a piece of art to Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lee Boon Yang

Lim Tze Peng holds his eponymous exhibition, “Tze Peng”, in the Singapore Art Museum, with a donation of 81 pieces.

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c. Mid-2000s to the early 2010s Lim Tze Peng posing with a painting of a tree, c. 1990s, Bali, Indonesia

Lim Tze Peng begins work on a tree and roots inspired series, drawing from his love of nature.

2004 Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew’s son, becomes Singapore’s third prime minister.

2006 Lim Tze Peng holds another eponymous exhibition, “Tze Peng in Paris” with the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore, with a donation of 45 pieces to the academy. He also holds another exhibition the same year with the Singapore Tyler Print Institute, entitled “Infinite Gestures- Recent Paintings by Lim Tze Peng”.

2008 Lim Tze Peng with guests at the opening of his exhibition at the NTU Art and Heritage Gallery.

Lim Tze Peng holds an inaugural exhibition at NTU Art and Heritage Gallery in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He also holds another exhibition the same year with Art Retreat Museum, Singapore, entitled “Inroads: Lim Tze Pengs New Ink Work.”

2009

Lim Tze Peng, Soh Siew Lay, and Jazz Chong at the opening of Inroads

Lim Tze Peng is the first Singaporean artist to be exhibited at the National Art Museum of China, Beijing, with an exhibition entitled “Inroads: The Ink Journey of Lim Tze Peng”. With Inroads, Lim sought to break free from the shackles of on-site painting, seeking instead to look inward and paint by reflecting rather than observing. At the age of 88, Lim put years of internalized artistic material to paper once more, this time seeking out new ways of seeing.

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2010 Lim Tze Peng holds “My Kampong, My Home” with Singapore Management University gallery.

2012

Guests at the opening of Black and White

Lim Tze Peng (centre) signing a copy of the Black and White exhibition catalogue

Lim Tze Peng holds two exhibitions, “Tze Peng in Bali” with Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore and “Black and White” with Ode to Art, Singapore.

May 2012 Lim’s Singapore River Scene (1978) broke records by fetching HK$620,000 (S$101,800) at a Christie’s auction, a hitherto-unsurpassed price for a work by a living Singaporean artist.

2013 Lim Tze Peng holds a solo exhibition entitled “攀登 The Journey” with Esplanade, Singapore.

2014

Lim Tze Peng, Lee Hsien Loong, Wee Cho Yaw and students during the opening of Lim Tze Peng Art Gallery

Lim Tze Peng painting a Larger Than Life piece in his studio

Ode to Art presented Larger Than Life, a solo exhibition by Lim Tze Peng at Art Stage 2014

The Lim Tze Peng Art Gallery in Chung Cheng High School is opened, with over 100 pieces donated by the artist. Lim Tze Peng also exhibits his paintings at Art Stage: Larger Than Life, with Ode to Art, Singapore. Lim’s Larger Than Life paintings mark a significant change in the artist’s oeuvre, considering his advanced age at the time. They combine Lim’s calligraphic strokes with his desire to preserve elements of old Singaporean landscapes, resulting in monumental works with familiar themes.

23rd March 2015 Founding father Lee Kuan Yew passes away and Singapore enters a one-week mourning period.

9 August 2015 Singapore celebrates its 50th National Day. (Lim Tze Peng is 94 years old.)

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13 October 2015

Jazz Chong presenting Lim Tze Peng with a bouquet at the opening of Impressions.

Guests at the opening of Impressions

Lim Tze Peng holds “Impressions”, an art exhibition with Ode To Art, Singapore.

2016 Lim Tze Peng, President Tony Tan, Mary Tan, and family members

Lim Tze Peng is awarded the Meritorious Service Medal at the National Day Awards. He also holds an exhibition with the National University of Singapore Museum entitled “Evening Climb: The Later Style of Lim Tze Peng”.

22 August 2016 S. R. Nathan passes away and Singapore enters a one-week mourning period.

14 September 2017 Halimah Yacob is elected as the first female president.

2018

Lim Tze Peng holds a solo exhibition titled “Portrait of the Heart” and a book launch in National Museum Singapore with Ode To Art, Singapore.

2019 Singapore’s Bicentennial, Singapore turns 200 since the founding of Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles.

3 August – 15 September, 2019 Lim Tze Peng holds The Spirit of Ink (墨緣), a solo art exhibition in Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum with Ode To Art, Singapore in collaboration with IDF Singapore.

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Biography

Born in Singapore on 28 September 1921, Lim Tze Peng is one of Singapore’s most significant artists and a living legend. Renowned for his Chinese ink drawings and paintings of post-independence Singapore, he also practices Chinese calligraphy. Alongside numerous solo and group exhibitions, both local and international, his masterpieces are exhibited in the Singapore Art Museum and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and are part of many prestigious collections. Lim has been bestowed several awards including the Special Prize at the Commonwealth Art Exhibition in England in 1977 and the prestigious Cultural Medallion in Singapore in 2003.

In May 2012, he broke records with the sale of his works at a Christies auction in Hong Kong .

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Even though Lim was born and educated in Singapore, his diligent studies and daily dedication to practicing his craft enabled him to excel in the Chinese ink tradition. His new ink works are deeply rooted in tradition, yet, they have a palpably contemporary feel and can be enjoyed by those who are schooled in other traditions.

Lim is famously known for his Chinese ink drawings and paintings of Chinatown and the Singapore River produced in the early 1980s after having embarked on his artistic journey in the 1950s. His paintings of these landmarks signified and reflected the change these prime locations were undergoing during urban development in Singapore. These paintings are a memory of what Lim saw as a Singaporean watching his kampong transform into an urbanized capital, and documented the cultural diversity and transformation of the city. Lim shows that Singapore’s multi-cultural environment may provide a context in which artists can respond to a variety of influences without being trapped in a defensive form of traditionalism or a superficial form of cosmopolitanism.

Having a solid foundation in Chinese philosophy, art and culture, Lim also practiced Chinese calligraphy, especially in the 1990s. Lim’s creative impulses for his new works is clear, where previously it was “I see and I paint, now it’s I reflect and I paint.” His latest series of calligraphic works reveal a new level of artistic maturity – their raw energy reflect an aggressive swiftness and decisive ferocity, injecting the calligraphy with invigorating tension.

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The Spirit of Ink

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National Gallery Singapore

Collections

Lim Tze Peng Art Gallery, Chung Cheng High School Housing Development Board Singapore Prime Minister’s Office Singapore Singapore Airline Singapore Art Museum Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation United Overseas Bank Swiss Bank Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore Shenn’s Fine Art, Singapore IBM Singapore Pte Ltd Lee Kong Chian Art Museum, National University of Singapore Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Singapore

Solo Exhibitions

2019

The Spirit of Ink ( 墨緣) , Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai, India

2018

Portrait of the Heart ( 心象) , Ode to Art, Singapore

2016

Evening Climb: The Later Style of Lim Tze Peng, National University of Singapore Museum, Singapore

2015

Solo Exhibition, Impressions, Ode to Art, Singapore

2014

Tze Peng: Songs from the Heart, de Suantio Gallery, Singapore Management University, Singapore

2013

Solo Exhibition, The Journey ( 攀登) , Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay Lim Tze Peng: A Private Collection, The Private Museum, Singapore

2012

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Lim Tze Peng: Black and White, Ode to Art Gallery, Singapore

The Spirit of Ink

Tze Peng in Bali, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore Nostalgic Memories of Chinatown – Paintings and Calligraphy by Lim Tze Peng, Cape of Good Hope Art Gallery, Singapore 2010

My Kampong, My Home, Singapore Management University Gallery, Singapore

2009

The Calligraphic Impulses of Lim Tze Peng, Cape of Good Hope Art Gallery, Singapore Inroads: The Ink Journey of Lim Tze Peng, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China Lim Tze Peng Solo Exhibition, Ode to Art Gallery, Singapore Inroads: The Ink Journey of Lim Tze Peng, Liu Haisu Art Museum, Shanghai, China

2008

Inaugural Exhibition, NTU Art and Heritage Gallery, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Inroads: Lim Tze Peng’s New Ink Work, Art Retreat Museum, Singapore

2007

Lim Tze Peng: Singapore River Memory, Cape of Good Hope Gallery, Singapore Springtime Echo – Lim Tze Peng Recent Paintings, Cape of Good Hope Art Gallery, Singapore

2006

Tze Peng in Paris, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore Infinite Gestures-Recent Paintings by Lim Tze Peng, Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore

Lim Tze Peng

2003

Tze Peng, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore

1998

Meeting Places in Fleeting Spaces, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore

1995

Moments by Lim Tze Peng, Takashimaya Gallery, Singapore

1991

2nd Solo Exhibition, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore

1970

1st Solo Exhibition, Singapore

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Group Exhibitions

2014

Nanyang Visionaries: Ten Second Generation Singaporean Artists & Their Innovations in Nanyang Style, ION Art Gallery, Singapore

2013

The Singapore Showcase: Growing Roots and Venturing Beyond, Cape of Good Hope Art Gallery, Singapore

2012

Celebrating at ION – Living with Art: An Exhibition of Modern and Classic Paintings, ION Art Gallery, Singapore

2006

Highlights of Southeast Asian Collection, NUS Museum, Singapore.

2005

The Society of Chinese Artists 70th Anniversary Commemorative Exhibition, Singapore

2004

Crossroads: Collected Works of Second-Generation Artists, NUS Museum, Singapore

2000

65th Anniversary Exhibition of The Society of Chinese Artists, Singapore

1999

Singapore Art Society 50th Anniversary Exhibition, Singapore

1996

The Reflection of Europe, The Society of the Artists, Singapore

1993

CAP III Inkscape, Singapore Artists Directory Exhibition, Empress Place Museum, Singapore, Art in Asia, Singapore Art Fair 1993, Shenn’s Fine Art, Tze Peng

by Himself

1991

International Chinese Calligraphy Exhibition, Beijing, China

1990

International Chinese Calligraphy Exhibition, Seoul, South Korea

1989

Contemporary Art in Singapore: Where East Meets West, Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam; Deutsche Bank AG, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Nuremburg; Mannheimer Kunstverein, Mannheim; Federal Republic of Germany New York Art Expo 89, New York, USA 1st Bru-Sin Art Exhibition 89, National Museum Art Gallery, Brunei

1988

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Salon des Artists Francais, Grand Palais, Paris, France

The Spirit of Ink

NAFA Lecturers Art Exhibition 88, Singapore 1987

Three-man Art Exhibition, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan

1986

ASEAN Art Exhibition, various ASEAN countries Eighth International Artists Art Exhibition, Taiwan

1982

Seventh International Artists Art Exhibition, Taiwan

1981

Singapore Calligraphy Exhibition, Singapore

1980

Fifth Festival of Asian Art, Hong Kong

1978

Singapore Artists Group Exhibition, Moscow, Russia Singapore Historical Monuments Exhibition, Singapore

Awards

Lim Tze Peng

1977

Royal Overseas League Exhibition, England

2016

Meritorious Service Award, Singapore

2003

Cultural Medallion Award, Singapore

1981

National Day Award (PBM), Singapore

1977

Special Prize, Commonwealth Art Exhibition, England

1963

National Day Award (PPA), Singapore

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Lim Tze Peng

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The Spirit of Ink Lim Tze Peng First published 2019

Ode To Art Raffles City 252 North Bridge Road, Raffles City Shopping Centre, #01-36E/F, Singapore 179103 Tel: +65 6250 1901 Fax: +65 6250 5354 info@odetoart.com odetoart.com Š Ode To Art 2019 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Printed and bound in India.

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“ The meaning no longer matters; all that matters is how has ink and brush been applied. The meaning of the poem is no longer important; what is important is how do you express yourself artistically, what artistic effect can you achieve from the different tones of ink when you are applying wash or dry brush, whether your composition is loose or compact.�

Lim Tze Peng