At 98, the Cultural Medallion awardee’s passion and devotion to art still burns as fervently as ever
As I entered Lim Tze Peng’s home and studio in Telok Kurau on a Thursday morning, I was warmly greeted by his family in the dining room. They were enjoying a spread of local delights—including dough fritters and soya bean milk, and I was quickly ushered to join them at the breakfast table as they exchanged casual banter. At one point, a smile spreads across the 98-year-old artist's face when he is told that his exhibition, Portrait Of The Heart will be featured on television.
In terms of surreal experiences, having breakfast with one of Singapore’s most important artists, surely tops the list. In fact, the nonagenarian is also our nation’s oldest living artist with a decades-long career in art, a path he began to embark on in the 1950s.
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The self-taught painter was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 2003 for his contributions to Singapore’s art and culture, and in 2012, broke records for a living Singaporean artist with the sale of one Chinese ink painting of Singapore River—sold for $101,800—at a Christie’s auction in Hong Kong. Yet, the veteran artist remains humble and grounded when he speaks about his art.
“Not every work I produce is great. The good ones are in the minority. Every day, I try to chart out a new path, to explore different techniques, and to consider different subjects. Even at night, I’m thinking of how to draw better, in terms of colours, lines, and composition,” he shared in Mandarin.
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