The long, lonely road to recognition

LEE Wen picks up his guitar, fixes a harmonica brace around his neck, and makes up a song. He sings a blues number about life and the obstacles he's faced. His hunched body, racked by scoliosis, sways back and forth.

Despite his debilitating illnesses - he has Parkinson's and scoliosis which impair his spine and movements - the 57-year-old artist and Cultural Medallion recipient has something to celebrate.

Next week marks the debut of his first ever solo show organised by a commercial gallery, and it will take place at a platform no less prestigious than Art Basel Hong Kong. The iPreciation booth will showcase works from his entire oeuvre, stretching back from 1992 right up to his recent drawings. This, and a retrospective show at the Singapore Art Museum two years ago, are sealing his reputation and generating buying interest among collectors - finally.