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Business Times
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Business Times
National Gallery Singapore's ink show is ambitious
[SINGAPORE] National Gallery Singapore's new ink exhibition sets out with an ambitious goal: to show ink not as a fixed tradition but as a living, changing language shaped by calligraphers, poets, abstractionists and experimental artists over time and across cultures. Titled Where Ink Tides Meet, the show traces ink's long history and highlights moments of creative exchange and discovery. But with only about 50 never-seen-before works taken from the museum collection, the exhibition also reveals its limits. There are clear gaps here – especially the general lack of women artists and younger voices. The story focuses mainly on male artists from the 20th century, which reflects how the collection was built through past acquisitions and private donations. Wu Guanzhong's Running Stream (1988) is one of the best works in National Gallery Singapore's uneven showcase of ink art. PHOTO: NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE This is understandable, but still raises important questions: Whose stories get told? And how can ink continue to feel relevant if we don't see it evolving through the eyes of today's emerging artists? Why do we have so few young ink artists? Some curatorial choices are puzzling, like dedicating almost a fifth of the show to Chinese-born artist Hong Zhu An. He is an undeniably gifted artist and his ink works – many gifted by him to the museum – are among the most captivating here. But the heavy focus on one artist feels unbalanced. Curated by Jennifer KY Lam, Lim Shujuan and Chee Jin Ming, the exhibition makes an effort to include artists beyond the Chinese tradition. It features South-east Asian and non-Chinese artists who use ink in unconventional ways, expanding what the medium can do and reflecting the cultural diversity of the region. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up Vietnamese artist Nguyen Minh Thanh's Waiting (2001) uses ink in unconventional ways. PHOTO: NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE Vietnamese artist Nguyen Minh Thanh offers thoughtful self-portraits combining local materials and calligraphy to explore identity and memory. Filipino artist Nena Saguil takes ink into abstract, almost spiritual territory, pushing the medium's limits. Malaysia's Latiff Mohidin uses calligraphic strokes to capture the dramatic limestone hills of southern China, blending Nusantara styles with East Asian traditions. But these diverse voices don't compensate for the show's uneven quality. At the heart of the exhibition are works by Chinese artists from the mid-20th century onward. Within this core, the quality fluctuates. Early pieces such as Khoo Seok Wan's (Not Titled) (Orchids On A Scholar Rock), Liu Xiande's (Not Titled) (Rambutans And Sparrows), and Chen Jen Hao's Who Wakes Up First From The Dream shine with nuance and refinement. Chen Jen Hao's Who Wakes Up First from the Dream (1943) is another show standout. PHOTO: NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE Among the later creations, Wu Guanzhong's Running Stream (1988) boasts his signature brilliance, while Lee Hock Moh's intricate depictions of Pulau Ubin and Fort Canning draw viewers in with minute details. But several other works lack this same vitality, breaking the rhythm and intensity of the show. It becomes clear why some of these pieces rarely see the light of day – they just don't carry the same emotional pull. Ultimately, Where Ink Tides Meet offers a thoughtful but uneven exploration into ink's evolving presence in South-east Asia. While it reveals moments of true beauty and insight, those moments also highlight the gaps that need be bridged so that future showcases can genuinely reflect ink's rich, dynamic and ever-evolving tradition. Where Ink Tides Meet runs at National Gallery Singapore from Jun 6 to Nov 16, 2025
Straits Times
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Arts Picks: Basoeki Abdullah at National Gallery, Han Mengyun solo, SG60 strings concert
Indonesian painter Basoeki Abdullah Labour (circa 1950s) is a futuristic landscape based on monuments such as Egyptian pyramids and Ottoman mosques. PHOTO: NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE Diplomacy And Desire: Basoeki Abdullah In Singapore One of South-east Asia's most-sought-after portraitists, Indonesian painter Basoeki Abdullah ( 1915 to 1993 ) has painted the likes of Singapore's first elected chief minister David Marshall, Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew , as well as former Philippine president and first lady Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. In this small and historically intriguing exhibition, some of Basoeki's portraits are on show, including one of Dr Tan Tsze Chor, a businessman dubbed the Pepper King who made his fortune through pepper trading, and several portraits of local models. The centrepie ce i s, however, two huge paintings that face each other in the main hall of the Dalam Southeast Asia space. They are two significant artworks gifted to Singapore in 1959, coinciding with the country's transition towards self-governance, and in 1981. The almost 3m-long Labour (circa 1950s), which featured in the gallery's special exhibition Tropical: Stories From Southeast Asia And Latin America in 2024, is a futuristic landscape based on monuments such as Egyptian pyramids and Ottoman mosques. The painting, accepted by then-Minister of Culture S. Rajaratnam, was Basoeki's representation of the future of Singapore. Basoeki had briefly lived here between 1958 and 1960. The second piece is Struggle For The Re-establishment Of The Democracy And The Right For The People (1981). The mythical landscape, washed in garish blues, is of a mermaid along with five pearls, said to represent the five founding nations of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean). The exhibition is a small window into an artist who was adjacent to power and keenly aware of art's political possibilities. Where: National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew's Road MRT: City Hall When: Till Feb 1, 2026, 10am to 7pm daily Admission: Free for Singaporeans and permanent residents, $20 (standard) and $15 (concession) for foreigners Info: Han Mengyun: Jewels Of Impermanence Reunion (2024) by Han Mengyun. PHOTO: SHANGHART GALLERY Wuhan-bo rn a rtist Han Mengyun's upcoming exhibition sets the stage for an encounter between Dutch vanitas paintings and Buddhist depictions of skeletons and skulls. The largely black-and-white paintings of these transient objects draw from the Western memento mori traditions – which lay bare worldly vanity – and Buddhist meditations on repulsiveness, which confront impermanence as a prerequisite of enlightenment. The series sees the London-based artist return to the medium of oil painting, which she had rejected for close to a decade, in search of alternative expressions beyond Western materials. Han says in a statement: 'In the prospect of grim uncertainty, I felt an urgent craving for the corporeal lusciousness of oil, the exhilarating violence of the brush, the humble endurance of canvas – capacities ink and rice paper cannot sustain.' Where: ShanghART Singapore, 02-22 Gillman Barracks, 9 Lock Road MRT: Labrador Park When: May 31 to July 27, noon to 6pm (Wednesdays to Sundays); other hours by appointment only Admission: Free Info: Min Lee & Aleksey Igudesman, SG60 Celebrate! Singaporean violinist Min Lee (pictured) and Russian-German violinist Aleksey Igudesman will join 60 young musicians for a charity concert in celebration of the Republic's 60th birthday. PHOTO: THE ORGANISERS Singaporean violinist Min Lee and Russian-German violinist Aleksey Igudesman will join 60 young musicians for a charity concert in celebration of the Republic's 60th birthday. Expect a multicultural programme with traditional tunes such as the popular Spanish folk song La Cucaracha, as well as Singaporean composer Dick Lee's patriotic anthem Home. The programme is arranged by Igudesman. Young and prodigious violinists from Lee's Wolfgang Violin Studio , such as 12-year-old Mark Lee and 11-year-old Chua Suen Ern, will also take the stage. The concert is organised by The Association of Banks in Singapore and the Credit Bureau Singapore in support of the President's Challenge. President Tharman Shanmugaratnam is the concert's guest of honour. Where: Victoria Concert Hall, 11 Empress Place MRT: City Hall When: June 3, 7.30pm Admission: $50 to $100 Info: Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
