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.
Tam Kwan Yuen
"Painting is a way of expressing my view of the world. Whether it's a busy city or quiet village, I am enthralled by the interactions of humans and their environment. I hope to present these scenes in an interesting way to my viewers."
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Born 1986 in Hong Kong
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Moved to Singapore in 1989
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Graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts, Product Design, Nanyang Technological University, 2012
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Member of Singapore Watercolour Society and Singapore Art Society
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Signature Member of American Watercolour Society (AWS)
Tam Kwan Yuen has been active in both the local and international art scene, participating in group and solo exhibitions. He currently paints scenes both locally and abroad, with a modern approach to his painting technique. His works have gained international recognition and have been exhibited in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Greece, Slovenia, Thailand, Hong Kong, China and Singapore. His works have been featured in art publications, including the 17th Issue of the Art of Watercolour Magazine and selected as Winner in North Light Books' Splash 18: Value | Light + Dark Issue edited by Rachel Rubin Wolf.
Notable Awards
2020 Juried into 153rd Annual International Exhibition of AWS, Salmagundi Club, New York City, USA
2019 Painting selected to exhibit in the 152nd Annual International Exhibition of AWS, Salmagundi Club, New York City, USA, and selected for the Traveling Exhibition 2016–17
2018 Awarded M. Graham Honourable Mention Award, Missouri Watercolour Society International Exhibition 2018, Qingdao, China
2017 Juried into 9th Signature American Watermedia Exhibition at the Fallbrook Art Center, Fallbrook, California, USA
2017 Outstanding Watercolour Award, October 2017 Boldbrush Painting Competition, FASO
2017 Awarded the Nanyang Outstanding Young Alumni Award, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2016 JAN GARY and WILLIAM D. GORMAN MEMORIAL AWARD in the 149th Annual International Exhibition of AWS, Salmagundi Club, New York City, USA
2016 Outstanding Watercolour Award, June 2016 Boldbrush Painting Competition, FASO
2015 Finalist in Student Landscape Section of the Artists' Magazine 32nd Annual Art Competition
2014 Awarded in the 35th International Exhibition of Pennsylvania Watercolour Society, USA
2014 Juried into 34th International Exhibition of San Diego Watercolour Society, USA
2014 Second Selection of Art of Watercolour's 1st World Watercolour Competition
2014 Juried into Society of Watercolour Artists (SWA) International Watermedia Showcase 2014, Texas, USA
2014 Award of Distinction, Watercolour Missouri International Exhibition 2014, USA
2014 Juried into 37th International Exhibition of Watercolour Art Society of Houston, USA
Solo Exhibitions
2020 Feels Like Home: Watercolour Paintings by Tam Kwan Yuen, AC43 Gallery, Singapore
2018 Beyond Borders, Merlin Gallery, Singapore
2016 Urban Sense, Chan Hampe Galleries, Singapore
2015 Shifting Points, artcommune gallery, Singapore
2013 Moments in Spaces, artcommune gallery, Singapore