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Straits Times
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Pioneer performance artist Amanda Heng to represent Singapore at 2026 Venice Biennale
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Amanda Heng will be the most senior artist to stage a solo at the Singapore Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. SINGAPORE – Pioneer performance artist Amanda Heng, 73, is Singapore's pick for the prestigious Venice Biennale in 2026, the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) announced in a statement on July 14. She will be the most senior artist to stage a solo at the Singapore Pavilion in Venice, and only the second woman artist to do so, after Shubigi Rao in 2022. Heng will collaborate with curator Selene Yap for her presentation at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, which will take place from May 9 to Nov 22. Dr Eugene Tan, co-chair of the commissioning panel and director of SAM, said of the panel's choice of Heng: 'Her sustained and evolving practice offers compelling ways of engaging the world through the body, performance and lived experience. Her work resonates with the urgencies of our time while being grounded in personal truth and poetic clarity.' Singaporean artist Amanda Heng (right) will collaborate with curator Selene Yap for her presentation at the 2026 Venice Biennale. PHOTO: SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM Heng left her job as an income tax officer in 1986 to pursue art. She co-founded The Artists Village – Singapore's first art colony, in a converted chicken farm – in 1988 and Singapore's first artist-run women collective Women In The Arts in 1999. She was conferred the Cultural Medallion in 2010. She is best known for her long-running performance works dealing with sociopolitical issues through everyday acts such as walking and conversing. In Walking The Stool (1999), Heng took her studio stool for a walk in public as a way of questioning Singapore's decade-long restrictions on performance art. That same year, she performed Let's Walk, leading participants in walking backwards with a high-heeled shoe in their mouth, as a comment on women's progress in society. Her participatory performance Let's Chat (1996) – presented in malls, markets and museums – offered an intimate space for the public to talk while peeling bean sprouts over tea. Another long-running project, Singirl, invited women to submit images of their bare bottoms as a comment on the demure image of the Singapore Girl. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore to train more aviation and maritime officials from around the world Singapore Special edition SG60 Nets card now on sale for $10 Singapore Same person, but different S'porean Chinese names? How have such naming practices evolved? Business Singapore's economy sees surprise expansion in Q2 despite US tariff uncertainty: Advance estimate Singapore Jail for woman who opened bank accounts that received over $640.7m, including scam proceeds Sport After Olympic heartbreak, Singaporean swimmer Chantal Liew turns pain into inspiration Business From wellness zone to neurodivergent room: How companies are creating inviting, inclusive offices Singapore Swift action needed to stop vaping's slide from health risk to drug epidemic Performance artist Amanda Heng in a video footage capturing her walking backwards, barefoot, with a high-heeled shoe in her mouth. Let's Walk (1999) was a statement on how women are constrained by having to conform to a certain ideal of how they should look. PHOTO: AMANDA HENG This will be the 12th year Singapore is participating at the prestigious event in Venice which showcases contemporary art from all over the world. The Singapore Pavilion has spotlighted artists such as Robert Zhao Renhui (2024) and Charles Lim (2015). It is commissioned by the National Arts Council and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. The 2026 theme is In Minor Keys.
Nylon
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Nylon
The Private Museum celebrates SG60 with an exhibition that honours love and legacy between artists Chua Mia Tee & Lee Boon Ngan
A common misconception that we have about art in Singapore is how we often look at it as something superficial that either reflects a person's societal status, or is used as a decorative measure to elevate the ambience of a location. This belief is largely due to the typical monetary value of art pieces that make them seem more of a luxury to have than the necessity to own. Hoping to change the perception of how Singaporeans view art, the Private Museum is looking to offer an alternative perspective to art with its latest exhibition to celebrate Singapore's 60th birthday — The Art of Lee Boon Ngan: Celebrating 60 Years of Singapore through the Love of Chua Mia Tee & Lee Boon Ngan. Image courtesy of Chua Mia Tee and the Chua Family. This landmark exhibition strives to honour the love and legacy between two Singaporeans who have dedicated their lives to art and the nation, focusing on Lee Boon Ngan who became an artist in her own right as she remained the steadfast and quiet strength of the family as a mother and wife to Cultural Medallion recipient Chua Mia Tee; who is widely recognised for his contributions to Singapore's national visual identity through his realist paintings. Featuring rarely seen portraits of their children and grandchildren, the exhibition is a poignant tribute to dedication and resilience, offering a biographical window into the private world of a family bound by art. My Grandchild, Ernestine (2017) by Chua Mia Tee from the collection of Chua Mia Tee and the Chua Family. Speaking to NYLON Singapore, Ernestine Chua who is the granddaughter of the artists and an artist in her own right, shared that while she had interests in different art mediums as a kid, it was also the 'great luxury' that she had of having artists in her home that eventually got her started on her path as an artist. 'My grandparents were very warm and welcoming about the way they spoke and created art, and there was never a pressure on me as a kid to produce art,' she said. 'I think that this environment really fostered the interest in art and why I took it on a higher education level because I started off with such a healthy and welcoming way to sort of explore art in different mediums.' On the left: Still-life (Fruits) (2014) by Lee Boon Ngan, On the right: Fruits (2014) by Ernestine Chua. Both from the collection of Chua Mia Tee and the Chua Family. This open and nurturing experience between Ernestine and her grandparents led her to easily adopt the fundamentals of art without feeling like she had to attend a class, and motivated her to create various types of art, including her very first oil painting at age 15, which she had done together with her grandmother in the studio. It was also during this moment when something her grandmother said went on to become a form of mantra whenever she worked on a project. 'It was when she said, the most important part of painting is when you mix and choose your colours in the palette before you touch brush to canvas,' said Ernestine. This advice from her grandmother was something that stuck with Ernestine and heavily influenced the way she painted and the way that she would add colours, layered on heavily, without taking anything away or even blending them with gradients. A recent artwork of her grandparents by Ernestine Chua. She explained, 'I think it sort of stemmed from the way the both of them paint with such precision and their choice of colour were very calculated on the palette before they went onto canvas.' Even though Ernestine may not dabble in the fine arts per se, having gone to school for illustration and visual media, she still finds a way to incorporate her grandparents' art styles into her art form, by appreciating colour like they would, and utilising the fundamentals she learned from them to translate 3D to 2D art and vice versa. The exhibition brings together a selection of both grandparents' artworks showcasing Chua Mia Tee's renowned landscape painting and portraits of public figures, and Lee Boon Ngan's exquisite flower paintings. When asked what her favourite pieces were from her grandparents, Ernestine was quick to point out her grandmother's pink peonies and her grandfather's portrait of her grandmother as the two that she would 'hound' her family about all the time. Peonies (1995) by Lee Boon Ngan from the collection of Chua Mia Tee and the Chua Family. This was largely due to the fact that both art pieces used to be familiar sights she would see around the house. The pink peonies used to sit over the family's dining table while the portrait of her grandmother had sat at the top of the stairs. 'Every memory I have of the house has a minimum of three paintings in the peripheral or in the background. So, those two paintings in particular are what I have a grip on,' she said. But, aside from the sentimental value, Ernestine sees those two artworks as pieces that represents quite a few of her grandparents' strengths. 'My grandmother was very meticulous with the way she painted and you can see a lot of different representations of the peony petals in shapes and tones,' said Ernestine. While she claims that she is 'bias' when it comes to her grandfather's portrait of her grandmother, she explained that it was because it was an 'very understated' but yet a comfortable painting of her grandmother doing her own art. My Wife (1980) by Chua Mia Tee from the collection of Chua Mia Tee and the Chua Family. It was also a form of photographic moment of her grandmother. 'Like me, my grandmother didn't to be photographed but my grandfather had so many paintings of her in such natural, candid positions that I never felt like I missed out on any photographs.' From glimpses of their shared studio space to works that speak of everyday affection, the exhibition harmonises two monumental figures and foregrounds the often invisible labour of love behind art too, reminding us that it is not always about the grand gestures but also the tender, often uncelebrated choices that shape lives and legacies. When asked what she hoped visitors will take away from the exhibition, Ernestine said: 'I'm very happy that there's a strong focus on my grandmother because she very much drove the car in raising us. As meticulous as she was in her practice, she was in life as well as raising us as children, so I hope people would consider her work a little more.'
Straits Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
SG60 and the visual arts: Cultural Medallion artists embrace colour, experimentation in STPI show
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Cultural Medallion recipient and artist Goh Beng Kwan has become more florid with age. SINGAPORE – Against pitch-black paper, the florid daubs of Singapore artist Goh Beng Kwan are practically luminescent. He is still uncompromisingly abstract in his idiom, but it is the flux of colours that draws you in: the bright orange flickering like a flaming bush and the cooler blue only occasionally successful in dousing their heat.
Business Times
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Times
The man who painted Lee Kuan Yew – and the wife whom history forgot
[SINGAPORE] Most art lovers recognise the name Chua Mia Tee. The realist painter is beloved for his portraits of founding fathers and working-class heroes – archetypes of the nation-building generation rendered in oil on canvas. Chua's work has come to define an era of Singapore's visual identity, with scenes of Lee Kuan Yew on the campaign trail, Singapore presidents surrounded by the Cabinet of the day, and young idealists reading poetry as progress unfolds around them. But few people know that, for much of his career, Chua – who was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 2015 – worked just a few metres away from another painter: his wife, Lee Boon Ngan (1939-2017). She was a talented artist in her own right, a realist who brought delicate floral compositions to life on canvas. Yet, she remained largely unrecognised – overshadowed by her husband's fame, and held back by the demands of domestic life. While Chua painted full-time, she raised their children, cooked their meals and managed the household. Only after the chores were done would she pick up her brushes. Chua Mia Tee's Singapore Presidents And Their Cabinets (I-V) (1996) is a stunning 3.8 m-long painting depicting the five presidents from Yusof Ishak to Ong Teng Cheong, with the respective Cabinets of the day. PHOTO: PRESIDENT'S OFFICE, ISTANA The couple's daughter, Dr Chua Yang, an obstetrician and gynaecologist behind a new exhibition to honour both her parents, says: 'She considered herself a wife and mother first, and an artist when she had time.' The exhibition, The Art of Lee Boon Ngan: Celebrating 60 Years Of Singapore Through The Love Of Chua Mia Tee & Lee Boon Ngan, opens on Jul 10 at The Private Museum in Upper Wilkie Road. Presented as part of the museum's 15th anniversary and SG60 celebrations, the show brings together nearly 50 artworks. 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 They comprise 15 floral paintings by Lee – some never before seen publicly – alongside a selection of Chua's better-known works, as well as contributions from the next generation of the family. Lee Boon Ngan's vivid floral paintings showcase her impressive precision and technique. PHOTO: CHUA MIA TEE & THE CHUA FAMILY The show includes two paintings by Lee's granddaughter, London-based artist Ernestine Chua, and three artistic photographs by Dr Chua, including one of her father on the day he completed his final painting in 2021, just before he suffered a stroke. Painting beside the nation's painter Dr Chua says: 'Mother was never as prolific as Father. But she painted throughout her life. She would wait for the right light, position her flowers near the window, and choose the most complicated bouquets – with the tiniest petals and most intricate leaves. It was a challenge she relished.' Lee Boon Ngan and Chua Mia Tee, a lasting union and legacy. PHOTO: CHUA MIA TEE & THE CHUA FAMILY In their shared home studio, husband and wife worked mostly in silence. 'There was no chatter. They didn't comment on each other's work until the very end. When a piece was nearly done, it would be brought into the family gallery at home and placed under a spotlight for critique. That's when everyone – including us kids – would weigh in.' (Dr Chua has a brother who is a retired dean of a tertiary institution in Hong Kong.) Despite his deft executions of landscapes, people and animals, Chua Mia Tee never painted flowers. 'That was Mother's territory,' Dr Chua recalls. 'He always said: 'Your mother is far better at that'.' Artist Chua Mia Tee putting the finishing touches to a self-portrait, in which he poses with the iconic 1957 painting of his wife, Lee Boon Ngan, as a young girl. PHOTO: DR CHUA YANG And yet, history remembers him and forgets her. Part of that, Dr Chua believes, was structural. Her father received government commissions and exhibited widely. His work was aligned with national narratives and institutional platforms. Her mother, on the other hand, painted privately, for herself and her family, without ambition for public acclaim. Part of it was also choice. 'Mother never sought recognition,' Dr Chua says. 'When collectors came for Father's works and chose hers instead, she was quietly amused… She was content with her life.' A 1980 portrait of Lee Boon Ngan by Chua Mia Tee, simply titled My Wife, depicts her at work, surrounded by her floral paintings. PHOTO: CHUA MIA TEE & THE CHUA FAMILY That didn't mean her daughter wasn't frustrated. 'For years after her death, I was indignant,' she admits. 'She was always in the shadow. I felt she deserved so much more. But I've come to realise that these were my expectations, not hers. She was proud of every meal she cooked for us. She was happy.' In recent years, Dr Chua has taken on the responsibility of preserving both her parents' legacies. In 2024, she launched her second book, Women Inspiring Women: The National Edition, at The Private Museum. As conversations turned toward her parents' art, the idea for an exhibition took root. Chua Mia Tee often included Lee Boon Ngan in his paintings, such as this work titled Stone Boat Of Summer Palace, Beijing (1985). PHOTO: CHUA MIA TEE & THE CHUA FAMILY A story told in two styles The result is a contemplative and moving exhibition that places Chua's grand portraits of statesmen and civic scenes alongside Lee's luminous florals. Each speaks to a different kind of devotion – one directed outward to nation-building, the other, inward toward the beauty of everyday life. 'In many ways, she was painting her self-portrait,' Dr Chua says. 'The brilliance of the flowers symbolised the vibrancy of her spirit. When Father painted her, he was capturing her beauty. When she painted flowers, she was capturing herself.' Lee Boon Ngan's tender paintings of flowers celebrate the overlooked and the everyday – in contrast to her husband's paintings of nation-building efforts. PHOTO: CHUA MIA TEE & THE CHUA FAMILY The exhibition also includes family portraits of children and grandchildren, and intimate glimpses into the couple's home and studio. Many works were drawn from the family estate, and others, on loan from institutions such as the Istana and the National Heritage Board. Though many visitors may come for Chua's portraits of Singapore leaders, they may leave with a deeper appreciation for the domestic, the feminine, and the quieter forms of artistic expression. In a society that often prioritises progress over presence, public achievement over personal duties, Lee's work asks the viewer to rethink these binaries. Nation and home, public and private, leaders and lovers, husbands and wives – they're all part of the same story. Dr Chua Yang, with a portrait of her parents painted by her father, Chua Mia Tee. PHOTO: CHUA MIA TEE & THE CHUA FAMILY The Art Of Lee Boon Ngan: Celebrating 60 Years Of Singapore Through The Love Of Chua Mia Tee & Lee Boon Ngan runs at The Private Museum (11, Upper Wilkie Road), from Jul 10 to Sep 21.
Straits Times
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Arts Picks: Tan Choh Tee, Bhumi dance, Maaya Wakasugi
The Language Of The Wind Nearly 30 still-life and landscape paintings by Cultural Medallion recipient Tan Choh Tee are coming back to Singapore after three decades. Belonging to a seasoned collector in Canada, the paintings of Singapore's old streets, such as Amoy Street and Ann Siang Road, are being shown at Hai Hui Art Gallery at The Adelphi. The small solo of the second-generation artist is titled The Language Of The Wind. Tan created these works between 1985 and 2022, and mostly painted the m with his favoured implement – the palette knife. Viewers can venture up close to admire how his abstract blocks of ochre come together to form legible images, o r how his vital strokes bring erstwhile street scenes to shimmering life. Tan, who studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts under pioneer artists like Liu Kang and Georgette Chen, is also known for his interest in still-life scenes. Hai Hui Art Gallery manager Zi Juan says his subjects are clearly rooted in the region. 'The tropical fruits he depicts are also cultural symbols. The garlic that he paints is taken right from the mundane local market. They are a projection of Tan's emotions and a microcosm of the collision of Singapore's diverse cultures.' Tan Choh Tee paints street scenes like that at the Singapore River with his palette knife. PHOTO: HAI HUI ART GALLERY Where: Hai Hui Art Gallery, 04-46 The Adelphi, 1 Coleman Stree t MRT: City Hall When: June 13 to 23, noon to 6.30pm daily Admission: Free Info: Bhumi Bhumi is a fusion of traditional Asian dance forms and contemporary movement. PHOTO: MAYA DANCE THEATRE Meaning 'Earth' in Sanskrit, Bhumi is an international dance collaboration spearheaded by Singapore company Maya Dance Theatre. It will premiere at the Drama Centre Black Box at the National Library Building before travelling to Jakarta, Indonesia. Through a fusion of traditional Asian dance forms and contemporary movement, the show questions what it means to belong to a world that often excludes. It also draws on man's connection with nature to imagine a way of existence that is more compassionate. Maya Dance Theatre is working with dancers with disabilities from Indonesia's Gigi Art of Dance and Australia's The Stellar Dance Company . Singapore dance company Under The Bridge is also part of the project, along with independent artist Verena Tay and composer Kailin Yong. Rehearsals took place over Zoom. Director Kavitha Krishnan said: 'This presented real challenges – different time zones, languages, and access needs – but that's the beauty of inclusive practice: it adapts, it experiments, it empowers.' Where: Drama Centre Black Box, National Library Building, 100 Victoria Street MRT: Bugis When: June 13, 8pm; June 14, 3 and 8pm Admission: From $25 Info: Stars In The Night Sky Stars In The Night Sky at I.F. Gallery. PHOTO: I.F. GALLERY What if the moon and stars on Singapore's national flag were subjected to the unpredictability of ink, and reinterpreted by a foreigner with a penchant for performance? I.F. Gallery in Tras Street is staging a solo exhibition by contemporary Japanese calligrapher-artist Maaya Wakasugi, who has drawn inspiration from the Singapore flag for his expressive kanji symbols, titled Stars In The Night Sky. It joins several other activations the artist has in the Republic in June, as part of a collaboration with Japanese retailer Lumine. In addition to creating brand symbol 'I Am Who I Am', he has also designed Uchiwa fans for Lumine customers marked with the kanji character for light – Hikari. Those who want to see more of his work can visit the Japan Creative Centre in Nassim Road before June 13. He has written words like moon in seven calligraphy styles , as well as in his own invented one, also applying the quintessentially Asian medium to English phrases. Where: I.F. Gallery, 45A Tras Street MRT: Tanjong Pagar When: Till Aug 1, 11.30am to 8pm daily Admission: Free Info: Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
