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.
Spirit in Motion: Ng Wai Choy
16 May 2026 – 31 May 2026
Manjusaka 5, 2021, Oil on canvas, 92 x 122 cm
AC43 Gallery is proud to present Spirit in Motion, a solo exhibition by acclaimed artist and author Ng Wai Choy (b. 1951), opening on Saturday, 16 May 2026, at 3pm. The exhibition features approximately 30 recent works by the artist. Curated by Yang Jye Ru, the exhibition aims to explore the interrelationships between line, form, movement and colour, revealing the richness of detail and structural complexity within the works. Viewers are invited to engage in close observation and immersive contemplation, experiencing the shifting interplay of light, brushwork and pictorial layers. Through this, they may reflect on the artist’s lived experiences and be prompted to consider the relationships between the self, society and the surrounding world. In these works, mountains and seas, sky and light are not merely external scenery; vibrant colours capture the inner vitality of all things, revealing
a continuously generative energy that exists between stillness and dynamism.
Ng Wai Choy’s artistic journey began in his youth. In 1966, at the age of 15, he won first prize at the International Youth Art Competition with his work Dancing at Night, which he later dedicated to Singapore’s first President, Yusof bin Ishak. After completing secondary education, he pursued formal artistic training at the Central School of Art in London, specialising in applied arts. From 1979 onwards, he embarked on a professional writing career, producing fiction, essays and travel writing, and has since published twenty-seven books. In the 1980s, Ng undertook a sixteen-year global journey as a backpacker, travelling to 109 countries and over 200 cities. This experience not only enriched his life but also profoundly shaped his later artistic practice and thought. His travel writing series titled Knapsack on My Back records not only his journeys but also inspired a generation of young people to explore the world and life through travel. Since 2015, he has focused on painting, producing works that combine narrative and conceptual reflection, drawing upon his accumulated artistic explorations to articulate the relationship between humanity and the cosmos and to convey deeper philosophical ideas.
One Leaf One World, 2025, Oil on canvas, 76 x 102 cm
Ng’s visual language is distinctive, often employing line, form and spiral compositions as structural devices while simultaneously conveying conceptual depth. In Western art history, from the golden spiral of ancient Greece to Renaissance explorations of perspective and human proportion, the circle and spiral have symbolised natural order and mathematical principles. In Chinese painting and Daoist philosophy, line not only defines form but also embodies the concept of “spiritual resonance and vitality” (气韵生动), expressing the unity of form and spirit through restrained brushwork. Works such as One Leaf One World and Lotus Radiance employ repeated spiral structures, water droplets, petals, interwoven curves and multiple focal perspectives to construct a richly layered spatial experience. This visual language not only reflects formal aesthetics but also carries cultural and philosophical significance.
Lotus Radiance, 2025, Oil on canvas, 76 x 102 cm
Such a visual language forms a compelling contrast with the social context of Singapore. In the popular imagination, Singapore has long been defined by order, efficiency and pragmatism. The belief that “effort leads to reward” has shaped widely held notions of success and underpinned the so-called “Singapore Dream”. It is commonly assumed that upward mobility can be achieved through hard work—manifested in a highly efficient education system, clearly defined career pathways, and stable housing plans. This reflects a linear, goal-oriented conception of time and life trajectory. At the same time, this belief extends into a broader collective vision of national development, closely tied to aspirations for economic prosperity, social harmony and national security, as well as a shared commitment to public well-being and innovation.
In contrast, Ng Wai Choy’s extensive years of travel and wandering, together with his diverse professional experiences and later reflections informed by Buddhist thought, have shaped a life trajectory that departs from mainstream narratives and, to a certain extent, diverges from the conventional Singaporean path of success. In works such as Manjusaka 5, he draws upon classical references from Zhuangzi’s Xiaoyao You (逍遥游), including the figure of the Kun fish (鲲), symbolising liberation from constraint and the pursuit of independent freedom. The imagery of white horses, boats and states of chaos creates a dialogue of contrasts, reflecting an interplay of cross-cultural experience and philosophical reflection.
Duo Falls, 2025, Oil on canvas, 91 x 91 cm
Perseverance, 2025, Acrylic on canvas, 91 x 91 cm
Beyond his refined articulation of light and line, Ng also employs colour and composition to express inner spiritual and emotional dimensions. Duo Falls, rendered in shades of blue, uses vertically flowing lines and intersecting currents to symbolise self-awakening and inner movement, reminding viewers that essence resides in one’s own perception and the rhythms of the mind. Perseverance, by contrast, is composed in a steady golden-yellow palette, conveying stability and resolve, and expressing the idea that even when unobserved, one must find one’s position and continue striving, embodying the strength of post-awakening self-cultivation. Although the two works differ markedly in colour, they resonate with one another in perception, demonstrating the artist’s acute sensitivity to inner states and spiritual consciousness.
In the Bush, 2025, Oil on canvas, 122 x 91 cm
The work In the Bush presents a more playful dimension, depicting two cats inhabiting their own small world in a state of ease and contentment. The composition is light-hearted and joyful, conveying the idea that if one genuinely experiences the present moment, even ordinary happiness can constitute a complete life, thereby revealing a sense of childlike innocence and warmth. Through these works, viewers are invited not only to appreciate visual aesthetics but also to engage with the artist’s profound reflections on time, life and existence.
Ng Wai Choy may be seen as a kind of sage, using his works to remind those who are preoccupied with standardised social expectations that life need not be measured solely by efficiency or outcomes. By quietly attending to time and lived experience, one may instead perceive the subtle connections between the self and the world, and discover a more liberated mode of existence.
The Wick, 2026, Oil on linen, 100 x 120 cm
Sunlit Island, 2025, Oil on canvas, 76 x 76 cm
About the Artist
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. In recent years, Ng Wai Choy has remained active in international exhibitions, including the group exhibition Orient Express in Florence (2015), The Beauty of Nature in Belgium (2017), the solo exhibition Inner Landscape in Singapore and Taiwan (2018), The Narrator (2021), and Solo Journey at ION Art Gallery, Singapore (2024). He continues to explore life experience and the inner spiritual world through painting.
