Chua Ek Kay, The Reflections — Life of a River (Triptych), c. 2000s

Ink and colour on paper
120 x 70 cm (visible) (each), 122 x 190 x 2 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good, with light stains throughout, consistent with age of the work.
Acquired from Art Outreach Charity Auction in 2004.

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Chua Ek Kay is among Singapore's most celebrated ink painters, and the river was one of his enduring subjects. Life of a River is a preparatory study for his best-known public commission: the 60-metre mural at Clarke Quay MRT station, silkscreened onto enamel panels, that still shows the life of the Singapore River, the early migrants, the tongkangs, the riverside buildings, to every commuter who passes through. This is where that vision was worked out, in the spontaneous ink-on-ink brushwork, "black within black," as Chua called it, that made him the first ink painter to win the UOB Painting of the Year in 2008. To own it is to hold the origin of a work thousands see every day, the private study behind the public monument.

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Lauded as the “bridge between Asian and Western art”, Chua Ek Kay 蔡逸溪 (Singaporean, 1947-2008) was an artist who adeptly blended Chinese painting forms such as Chinese ink on paper, with Western art theories and techniques. His bold reinterpretation of ink traditions won him accolades such as the UOB Painting of the Year Award in 1991, being the first Chinese ink-painter to do so, and the Cultural Medallion in 1999. 

Chua’s early life was rich with Chinese cultural influences — he wrote Chinese poetry, read Chinese literature and practised calligraphy. In 1975, he was taught Chinese brush painting by Fan Chang Tien, Singapore’s master ink painter of the Shanghai School. As Chua trained in the Shanghai School style, he found similarities to the works of Western artists like Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock, as both were rife with artistic spontaneity. As he continued to hone his artistic practice, he realised that the discipline of Chinese art helped strengthen his lines whilst Western techniques helped him in the mixing of tones. 

Photo courtesy of Art Outreach Singapore.

Reflections — Life of a River is a preparatory work for Chua’s 60-metre long mural found at Clarke Quay MRT station. These images were silkscreened onto vitreous enamel panels now found at the station. The mural depicts life on the Singapore River, showing the arrival of early migrants in the 19th century, the tongkangs that used to ply the river, the buildings surrounding the river and street celebrations by the riverside. As Chua fondly said of this installation “My works at Clarke Quay are some of the largest works of my entire career. It will be a magical moment for me when the public views my works for the first time.” View a virtual tour of Chua’s full installation at the station here.

Art in Transit: North East Line MRT by Tan Su Yen

Ink and colour on paper
120 x 70 cm (visible) (each), 122 x 190 x 2 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good, with light stains throughout, consistent with age of the work.
Acquired from Art Outreach Charity Auction in 2004.

-

Chua Ek Kay is among Singapore's most celebrated ink painters, and the river was one of his enduring subjects. Life of a River is a preparatory study for his best-known public commission: the 60-metre mural at Clarke Quay MRT station, silkscreened onto enamel panels, that still shows the life of the Singapore River, the early migrants, the tongkangs, the riverside buildings, to every commuter who passes through. This is where that vision was worked out, in the spontaneous ink-on-ink brushwork, "black within black," as Chua called it, that made him the first ink painter to win the UOB Painting of the Year in 2008. To own it is to hold the origin of a work thousands see every day, the private study behind the public monument.

-

Lauded as the “bridge between Asian and Western art”, Chua Ek Kay 蔡逸溪 (Singaporean, 1947-2008) was an artist who adeptly blended Chinese painting forms such as Chinese ink on paper, with Western art theories and techniques. His bold reinterpretation of ink traditions won him accolades such as the UOB Painting of the Year Award in 1991, being the first Chinese ink-painter to do so, and the Cultural Medallion in 1999. 

Chua’s early life was rich with Chinese cultural influences — he wrote Chinese poetry, read Chinese literature and practised calligraphy. In 1975, he was taught Chinese brush painting by Fan Chang Tien, Singapore’s master ink painter of the Shanghai School. As Chua trained in the Shanghai School style, he found similarities to the works of Western artists like Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock, as both were rife with artistic spontaneity. As he continued to hone his artistic practice, he realised that the discipline of Chinese art helped strengthen his lines whilst Western techniques helped him in the mixing of tones. 

Photo courtesy of Art Outreach Singapore.

Reflections — Life of a River is a preparatory work for Chua’s 60-metre long mural found at Clarke Quay MRT station. These images were silkscreened onto vitreous enamel panels now found at the station. The mural depicts life on the Singapore River, showing the arrival of early migrants in the 19th century, the tongkangs that used to ply the river, the buildings surrounding the river and street celebrations by the riverside. As Chua fondly said of this installation “My works at Clarke Quay are some of the largest works of my entire career. It will be a magical moment for me when the public views my works for the first time.” View a virtual tour of Chua’s full installation at the station here.

Art in Transit: North East Line MRT by Tan Su Yen

Artwork located in: Singapore