Lim Tze Peng

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About the artwork

Nyepi, also known as the Balinese Day of Silence, is commemorated every Isakawarsa (Saka New Year) according to the Balinese calendar. As a day reserved for self-reflection and meditation, all goes quiet on the island of Bali. In this painting, on the day before Nyepi, Lim Tze Peng depicts a group of villagers preparing for the purification ceremony where islanders throw ducks into the ocean as part of a ritual. With his fine lines, muted colours and carefully thought-out composition, Lim Tze Peng evokes a sense of nostalgia and remembrance, as he features the quiet calm of festival preparation. “Bali is a paradise for artists.” During his trips to Bali over the course of 30 years, Lim Tze Peng painted and documented the scenes he observed of island life, quickly becoming enamoured by the rustic simplicity of the rituals and festival of Bali. This painting, one of his incredible collection of sketches and ink paintings, is yet another treasured memory and scene from indigenous living in Southeast Asia.

About the artist

Born in Singapore in 1921, Lim Tze Peng is one of Singapore’s most significant artists and a living legend. Renowned for his Chinese ink creations of post-independence Singapore, he also practices Chinese calligraphy. Alongside local and international exhibitions, his masterpieces are exhibited in prominent Singapore institutions and part of many prestigious collections. Lim 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.