Chua Ek Kay

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About the artwork

Chua Ek Kay incorporates a distinctively Western technique of abstraction to illustrate a street scene in Chinatown using Chinese ink, revealing his deep impression and influence from both fields. In the foreground lies a scene in Chinatown while the background depicts high rise buildings. With his sombre ink washes, Chua Ek Kay evokes a sense of nostalgia and fading time when one contemplates the work. He immortalises a quickly disappearing scene in Singapore’s rapidly urbanising landscape, as the hazy brushstrokes are reminiscent of one’s eroding memories. Chua's fascination with old shophouses lies in the architectural beauty that he claims does not fade with time.

About the artist

An artist who has been hailed as the bridge between Asian and Western art, Chua Ek Kay (b. 1947, China - d. 8 February 2008, Singapore) was the first Chinese ink painter to win the United Overseas Bank Painting of the Year Award (1991). Chua trained under master ink painter Fang Chang Tien of the Shanghai School but later developed a keen interest in Western art. He received the Cultural Medallion Award in 1999. Prominent in Chua's paintings is the blend of traditional Chinese art forms and Western theories and techniques. Several of Chua's paintings have adorned the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), which occupies the third storey of the Istana Annexe. Chua's family came to Singapore in the 1950s and lived in Liang Seah Street. This area has a deep influence in his work for he has made street scenes and old shophouses a regular subject of his paintings. In fact, for the United Overseas Bank Painting of the Year Award that he won in 1991, his winning piece was entitled, "My Haunt", a brush painting of old buildings in Liang Seah Street. This accolade made him the first Chinese ink painter to have won the award in its ten-year run then. Chua's fascination for old shophouses lies in the architectural beauty that he claims does not fade with time.