Ode to Art Presents Lim Tze Peng (2015)

Lim Tze Peng achieved a stylistic breakthrough with the development of a new style of abstract calligraphy or 糊涂字 (known as hu tu zi). Emphasizing expressiveness and elegance of strokes instead of the actual meaning of the words, some of the works have layers written atop each other with words appearing so cursive and abstract that it is difficult to decipher the characters present. Lim's creative impulses for his new works is clear, where previously it was "I see and I paint, now it's I reflect and I paint." His latest series of calligraphic works reveal a new level of artistic maturity - their raw energy reflect an aggressive swiftness and decisive ferocity, injecting the calligraphy with invigorating tension. Lim Tze Peng has been bestowed several awards including the Special Prize at the Commonwealth Art Exhibition in England in 1977 and the prestigious Cultural Medallion in Singapore in 2003. In May 2012, he broke records with the sale of his works at a Christies auction in Hong Kong.