Lim Tze Peng: Chronicling Singapore’s evolution – and his own – through Chinese ink

AT 103 years of age, the still-active artist Lim Tze Peng has created a body of work that’s possibly larger than that of any other Singaporean artist – with one estimate putting his output at around 20,000 pieces. Opening this week, his first solo exhibition at National Gallery Singapore has only about 50 works dated from 1946 to 2023. It is thus a small sampling of an extensive oeuvre that has outlived multiple eras of Singapore’s transformation, from its pre-independence days to its rise as a wealthy metropolis. 

Lim’s art chronicles this remarkable journey. His early Chinese ink paintings capture the rustic charm of old Singapore – the kampungs, the Singapore River and bustling street markets – before the rapid urbanisation that followed. As Singapore evolved, so did his artistic expression, moving from detailed representational works to more abstract and expressive forms, particularly in his calligraphy. His brushstrokes, once depicting scenes of daily life, now embody a deep, almost spiritual reflection on change, memory and identity.

Titled Becoming Lim Tze Peng, the exhibition opens with a large and mesmerising ink painting of a vehicle repair show. Completed in 2015, the work suggests that, even in his mid-90s and with limited mobility (he was partly wheelchair-bound), Lim could capture the essence of time, place and memory, with more precision and vibrancy than much younger artists.