CHUA EK KAY

Chua Ek Kay 蔡逸溪 b,1947, China – 2008, Singapore

Chua Ek Kay was born in China in 1947 and migrated to Singapore in the 1950s. From a young age, he was immersed in Chinese literature and poetry, studying calligraphy under the guidance of his father. At the age of 28, he became a student of Fan Chang Tien, a renowned Singapore master of the Shanghai School of ink painting, an experience that profoundly shaped his artistic development.

Chua is celebrated for bridging Eastern and Western artistic traditions. In 1991, he became the first Chinese ink painter to receive the UOB Painting of the Year award. His work is distinguished by a sophisticated fusion of traditional Chinese ink aesthetics and Western modernist techniques. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the arts, he was awarded Singapore’s highest artistic honor, the Cultural Medallion, in 1999.

Deeply inspired by Western modern masters such as Jackson Pollock, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso, Chua pursued formal studies in Western art at the then LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts in 1990, as well as in Australia. Despite this engagement with Western art, the influence of the Chinese brush remained central to his practice, as he continued to develop a unique visual language that integrated traditional ink painting with contemporary expression.

Chua Ek Kay passed away in 2008 after battling nasal cancer. Today, his works are highly sought after by major institutions and collectors, and he remains a pivotal figure in the evolution of Singapore contemporary art.