Tung Yue Nang

Tung Yue Nang




Tung Yue Nang - 邓汝能




Tung Yue Nang (b. 1959, Singapore - ) is an artist who subscribes to the Chinese philosophy of Tao Te Ching ("Classic Way of the Power") in practising his art.



While initially focused on traditional Chinese paintings, he subsequently allowed elements of Western art to permeate his style. He has exhibited widely and won several awards.


Early Life
Tung was educated in both English and Chinese but has always been more at ease with the latter. At the age of 15, he was taught Chinese painting, calligraphy, seal carving and engraving by artist Shi Xiang Tuo. This was the only art education that he received before embarking on his artistic career. From then onwards, he used the elements of Chinese art to develop a personal style motivated by the Tao philosophy.

Before he quit the corporate world to become a professional artist, Tung held the position of graphic design director. Besides painting, he has written Chinese poetry. He has also learnt the art of ceramics and sculpture from Singapore's foremost sculptor Ng Eng Teng. Despite having a wealth of experience, he continually seeks to improve his skills.

Stylistic Conventions
Tung subscribes to the Tao Te Ching philosophy of life, which allows him to reconcile art with life. The Tao way focuses on harmony and tranquillity amidst chaos and disorder. This is reflected in Tung's art, in which he constantly searches for both harmony and tranquillity, even in the most banal objects and occurrences in everyday life.

Although Tung immerses himself in Chinese culture, he is also fascinated with Western modernist art. He has strived to combine Western art concepts and media with Chinese art and philosophy in his works.

When he first started out, he painted mostly landscapes in the traditional Chinese style that allowed him to concentrate on his inner spirituality as such paintings constantly emphasised the positive (yang) over the negative (yin) feelings. He then painted landscapes and local sights and sounds in broad strokes using the high perspective of traditional Chinese art.

Subsequently, he replaced naturalism with abstract representations in his art. He also began to experiment with acrylic and mixed media paintings. This led to his One series of paintings, which marked his evolution from Chinese traditional painting to Western art concepts without completely neglecting the former.

While the One series reflected meticulous planning and careful execution of every single detail, the Paper Music series employed the pastiche and collage method of juxtaposing torn coloured ricepaper enriched with Chinese calligraphic brush to symbolise the richly textured surface.

For the Peranakan series, which was motivated by Tung's deep-seated interest in Peranakan culture, he used paraphernalia common to this community to reflect its identity. Each object was depicted with the intensity of a photographic print.

Learning Journeys
Tung travels widely to seek inspiration and spiritual nourishment necessary to produce his artworks. He has been to most Southeast Asian countries, China, Nepal, the Middle East, Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. He often returns from such trips with renewed insights and inspiration for his art, which would culminate in a new series of paintings.














Solo Exhibitions
1988 : Space & Time, Pavillion Hotel, Singapore.
1989 : New Work, Singapore.
1989 : One, Malaysia.
1989 : One, Pavillion Hotel, Singapore.
1990 : Tung Yue Nang at the Hyatt, Singapore.
1997 : Baba & Nonya: The Art of Tung Yue Nang, Singapore.
1998 : Land Before Time: The Art of Tung Yue Nang, Art Forum, Singapore.
1999 : EARTH: The Art of Tung Yue Nang, Orchard Point, Singapore.
2000 : Heaven on Earth: The Bali Sojourn, Paragon, Singapore.
2002 : Chinatown My Chinatown, Paragon Atrium, Singapore.
2003 : Baba & Nonya: Double Happiness, Paragon Atrium, Singapore.





Group Exhibitions
1977 : Singapore Youth Festival Arts & Crafts Exhibition, Singapore.
1977 : Beautiful Singapore River Exhibition, Singapore.
1977 : Chinese Calligraphy Competition & Exhibition, Singapore.
1981 : National Day Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1982 : National Day Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1985 : National Day Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1985 : 4th UOB Painting of the Year, Singapore.
1985 : The Four-Man Team Exhibition, Malaysia.
1985 : International Calligraphy Exhibition, China.
1986 : National Day Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1987 : 6th UOB Painting of the Year, Singapore.
1987 : Chinese Calligraphy Exhibition, China.
1987 : Clean River Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1987 : MCI Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1987 : Chinese Calligraphy Exhibition of Community Centres, Singapore.
1988 : National Day Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1988 : 7th UOB Painting of the Year, Singapore.
1988 : National Museum Centenary Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1989 : 8th UOB Painting of the Year, Singapore.
1990 : IBM Art Award & Exhibition, Singapore.
1990 : Modern Art Travels East-West, Netherlands.
1990 : Modern Art Travels East-West, Singapore.
1990 : 9th UOB Painting of the Year, Singapore.
1992 : National Kidney Foundation Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1993 : SCGS Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1993 : New Age: A New Art Movement Exhibition, Singapore.
1993 : An Exhibition of Print Works by Singapore & Jilin (China) Artists, Singapore.
1994 : Singapore Artists Speak 2 Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1996 : 25th Anniversary - Preservation of Monuments Board Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1996 : Molan Art Association Exhibition, Singapore.
1996 : New Age 2: Earth to Earth Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1996 : "Proof", Contemporary Printmaking Association Exhibition, Singapore.
1997 : Of Things Peranakan Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1998 : Molan Art Association Exhibition, Singapore.
1998 : Image Nude, an exhibition by Group 90, Singapore.
1998 : President's Charity Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1999 : President's Charity Art Exhibition, Singapore.
1999 : Molan Art Association Exhibition, Singapore.
2000 : Nuphoria 2000, an exhibition by Group 90, Singapore.
2001 : Pulp Friction: Materials in Contemporary Art, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore.
2002 : NU-Sense, a nude art exhibition by Group 90, Singapore.
2002 : Naked Perfection, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore.
2002 : Creative Calligraphy Grand Exhibition 2002, Atrium MITA, Singapore.
2002 : Molan Art Association Exhibition, Singapore.




Author
Nurhaizatul Jamila Jamil