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.
Ng Wai Choy
Till now, this is still the most important concept behind my creation : “What can I leave behind?”
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Born 1951 in Singapore
Ng Wai Choy also known by his pen name Wu Weicai, is a writer, artist, and theatre creator. He studied Applied Art in the London Central School of Arts in his early years and demonstrated remarkable artistic talent from a young age. In 1966, he won the championship at an International Youth Art Competition, and his award-winning work Dancing at Night was presented to Singapore’s first President, Yusof bin Ishak. Ng began his professional writing career in 1979 and has since published twenty-seven books spanning fiction, essays, and travel literature. During the 1980s, he undertook a sixteen-year intermittent backpacking journey around the world, travelling through 109 countries and more than 200 cities. His travel series Knapsack on My Back inspired many young readers to explore the world through independent travel. In 1998, Ng enrolled at the Beijing Film Academy to study directing and cinematography. He later worked in documentary production and founded Layang Merah Production (Red Kite Theatre Workshop), where he wrote and directed several stage works. In 2012, Ng established personal studios in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, gradually shifting his focus toward visual art.
Since 2015, he has devoted himself primarily to painting, working mainly in oil and monochrome cut-style drawings. His works are characterized by a strong narrative quality and a profound spiritual dimension, often using nature as a metaphor to explore the relationship between humanity, life, and the cosmos. After observing art across Europe, Ng came to believe that art can carry and release the energy of life. He later embraced Buddhism, taking the Dharma name Ming Rui（明睿）, and resolved to convey a life-affirming spiritual energy through his paintings. He continues to explore life experience and the inner spiritual world through painting.
Notable Awards
1966 First Prize, International Youth Art Competition, Singapore
Solo Exhibitions
2026 Spirit in Motion: Ng Wai Choy, AC43 Gallery, Singapore
2024 The Solo Journey, ION Art Gallery, Singapore
2021 The Narrator, Waichoy's Studio, Singapore
2020 70 Stories in Oils, Waichoy's Studio, Singapore
2018 Inner Landscape, Wan Sha Art, Taiwan
2018 Ng Wai Choy Solo Exhibition, Koahsiung Social Education Board, Taiwan
Selected Group Exhibitions
2015 Artists Art Fair Malaysia, Artist Malaysia & Younie Gallery, Malaysia
2015 Converging and Transcending: The Totality of Four Singapore Artist, The Fullerton Hotel, Singapore
2015 Orient Express, Art Expertise Merlino, Bottega d'Arte Firenze, Italy
