artcommune and AC43 Gallery are pleased to present The Story of Two Presses, which delves into the little-known history and collaborative culture of contemporary printmaking in Singapore. Featuring works by Chen Cheng Mei, Chng Seok Tin, Chen Shitong, Chiew Sien Kuan, Chua Chon Hee, Ho E Moi, Nhawfal Juma’at, Nyan Soe, Oh Chai Hoo and Tan Sock Fong, this multi-generational showcase centres on the developments of two specific printmaking workshops helmed by local artists in Singapore - the LASALLE Printing Workshop (in LASALLE College of the Arts) led by Chen Cheng Mei and Chng Seok Tin between the mid-1980s and 1990s, and Pulp Editions founded by Chen Shitong in 2017.
Though operating over 30 years apart, both printers embody the fervent ground-up initiative of local artists whose passion and sacrifices became instrumental in developing the contemporary printmaking scene in Singapore. The Story of Two Presses presents around 30 fine art prints spanning the period of 1980s to 2022, with almost all being produced in these two workshops.
Celebration of Chng Seok Tin’s birthday, circa 1992.
Artists Ho E Moi, Chen Cheng Mei, and Chng Seok Tin (from left to right in the foreground) with students at the LASALLE Printing Workshop in Telok Kurau. Photograph courtesy of Dahlia Osman (2nd from right in the background), student of Chng Seok Tin.
More often than not, a series of small, thoughtful gestures from one or two individuals is all it takes to set forth a course of meaningful developments for an entire community. In 1985, the dedication of Brother Joseph McNally, who founded LASALLE College of the Arts in 1984, was met with an equal measure of selflessness from artist Chen Cheng Mei, who readily helped facilitate the inception of the school’s printmaking department by placing her own newly imported English etching press and print materials in the school’s printing workshop for all students and interested artists to use.
Chen Cheng Mei (b. 1927, Singapore - d. 2020, Singapore) herself was primarily an oil painter who had trained at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (1949-54). While visiting Paris in 1980, she hung out at the renowned Atelier 17 printer owned by Stanley William Hayter and was determined to experiment further with press techniques. This prompted her purchase of an expensive English etching press in 1985 for her personal use. In the early years of the newly-opened LASALLE, Brother McNally had had to contend with limited funds and resources, and Chen Cheng Mei’s generous gestures had allowed the school to run its printmaking department with verve and aptitude. Her informal gifting of the etching press and materials enabled LASALLE to hire Chng Seok Tin (b. 1946, Singapore - d. 2019, Singapore), who had just returned to Singapore after many years of training and experimenting with print techniques in the US, to helm the department in 1985. In the late 80s, Chen Cheng Mei also added an imported German lithograph press to the workshop. Over the years, she continued to donate many print materials including paper, imported plates and acids to the workshop.
As a teacher and mentor, Chng Seok Tin was instrumental in fostering the first of print majors amongst art students in Singapore. For up until the late 80s, printmaking was offered only as an exposure module at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and the lessons focused more on woodcut and silkscreen printing. LASALLE was effectively the first art school in Singapore to offer a degree majoring in Print, encouraging a more specialised interest in etching and lithography.
Between 1985 and up till the 2000s, Chen Cheng Mei, Chng Seok Tin and Ho E Moi (also Chen’s sister-in-law) worked often at the LASALLE Printing Workshop to produce their own etchings and lithographs. Several students and graduates from LASALLE who were active members of the Contemporary Printmaking Association, Singapore, such as Tan Sock Fong (b. 1966, Singapore, who was amongst LASALLE’s first batch of print majors), also produced many of their works here. In an informal and organic manner, the LASALLE printing workshop functioned as a fecund space where artists of different backgrounds and styles came together to learn and transfer knowledge, bonded by a common interest to pursue contemporary printmaking as an avenue of expression.
The Story of Two Presses aims to celebrate this uniqueness and spirit embodied by the LASALLE printing workshop with a selection of prints completed by Chen Cheng Mei, Chng Seok Tin, Ho E Moi and Tan Sock Fong in this very space.
Ho Sou Ping
"Art is an expression of one's thoughts and aesthetic ideas. It's a constant process of honing one's craftsmanship and philosophical ideas in aesthetics."
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Born 1972 in Singapore
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Graduated with Bachelor of Sciences (Physics), National University of Singapore (NUS), 1995
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Graduated with Master of Science, Management of Technology, NUS Business School, 2004
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Graduated with Master in Art History, LASALLE College of Arts, Singapore, 2008
Ho Sou Ping began his journey in art at the age of 13, training in calligraphy and painting under the late 2nd-generation artist Chuan Keng Boon. To pursue his passion for art, Sou Ping took the bold step of bidding farewell to a long-time career in the aerospace engineering sector to become a full-time artist in 2009. In the same year he also founded artcommune gallery, which has grown to be a leading platform for Singapore artists. Adds the artist, “Some friends have advised that I give up painting and concentrate on my gallery business, but when I think of Mr. Chuan who selflessly taught and nurtured our artistic passion when he could have focussed the time and energy on his own art practice, I know I must persist in this path that I have chosen.”
Over the past decade, Sou Ping has expanded into oil and watercolour painting and made painting trips to other countries like Malaysia, Bali, Greece, Germany and Tibet to explore new landscapes and colours in his expression. He often looks out for opportunities to learn from the best of the best in any discipline, believing that this is the fastest way to improve as an artist.
Recommended Read: La Kopi with Ho Sou Ping
Awards
2009 National Calligraphy Competition, Merit prize
1994 National Day Youth Art Exhibition, Commendatory prize
1990 7th National Calligraphy and Painting Competition, 3rd prize
Solo Exhibitions
2019 Journeys and Discoveries: Ho Sou Ping’s Solo Exhibition, Merlin Gallery, Singapore
2012 Metamorphosis II: The Pursuit of Colours, Ernst & Young Gallery, Singapore
2011 Metamorphosis, Ernst & Young ASEAN Art Outreach, Singapore
2008 National 1st solo art exhibition, Drawing Gallery, Singapore
Selected Group Exhibitions
2011 Telok Kurau Studios 14th Annual Exhibition: Art is a Lie
2009 Singapore At Show: The Calling of Tradition
2009 The 2nd "Tradition and Contemporary" International Chinese Artists Art Exhibition, Luoyang, China
Publications
2015 The Story of Cheong Soo Pieng
2014 Tze Peng: Songs from the Heart
2010 Paintings & Calligraphies of Ho Sou Ping – An Introduction to Art Appreciation
2008 Conversations with Traditions – Paintings and Calligraphies of Ho Sou Ping
