Foregrounding the rich history of printmaking in Singapore
By Vivyan Yeo

Chen Cheng Mei. Image courtesy of artist’s family.

Before computer printers were invented, the mass production of text and images was dominated by traditional techniques such as woodblock printing, etching, lithography and screen printing. While this may lead to the idea that printmaking is simply a tool to create copies, the format has a place in the fine art world as its own legitimate category today.

‘The Story of Two Presses' by artcommune gallery and AC43 Gallery foregrounds the diverse methods and rich history of printmaking in Singapore. Showcasing artworks created between the 1980s and 2022, the intergenerational exhibition spotlights two significant printers throughout time. The first is the LASALLE Printing Workshop, which began when artist Chen Cheng Mei (1927 - 2020) donated an English etching press to the newly founded LASALLE College of the Arts in 1985. Chng Seok Tin (1946 - 2019) was then asked to helm the printmaking department in the same year, as she had just returned from studying print techniques in the United States of America. The second is Pulp Editions, a collaborative printmaking workshop established in 2017 by artist Chen Shitong (b. 1985). Highlighting the legacies of these two printers, the exhibition features artists who used the printing press at LASALLE, such as Chen Cheng Mei, Chng Seok Tin, Ho E Moi and Tan Sock Fong, as well as recent artist residents at Pulp Editions, Chiew Sien Kuan, Chua Chon Hee, Oh Chai Hoo, Nyan Soe and Nhawfal Juma'at.

Chng Seok Tin. Image courtesy of the artist’s estate.

LASALLE Printing Workshop

Through their contributions of materials and knowledge, Chen and Chng were pivotal to the development of printmaking in Singapore. The former had studied etching and lithography at Atelier 17 in Paris with Stanley William Hayter, widely regarded as a pioneering figure of 20th-century modern printmaking. In addition to donating the etching press, she later added an imported German lithography press, paper, plates and acids to LASALLE. Equipped with these materials, Chng could then better transfer her understanding of the medium to budding artists. These resources greatly enriched the printmaking department, especially since there were limited funds during the school's early years.

The seeds of ‘The Story of Two Presses’ lie in the passion and generosity demonstrated by local artists across time. The curators, Ma Peiyi, Senior Curator of artcommune gallery and Wong Pei Lin, Gallery Manager of artcommune gallery and AC43 gallery, elucidate that, “Informally and organically, the LASALLE Printing Workshop functioned as a fecund space where artists of different backgrounds and styles came together to learn and explore. Our exhibition celebrates the uniqueness and spirit embodied by the artists who made such a space possible."

Chen Cheng Mei, ‘African Highway’, 1996, etching, 40 x 35cm, edition 4 of 20. Image courtesy of artcommune gallery and AC43 Gallery.

Having gone on many field trips around Southeast Asia, Latin America, Southern and Eastern Africa, Oceania and beyond, Chen illustrated scenes from diverse locations. In the curatorial essay accompanying 'The Tailors and The Mannequins: Chen Cheng Mei and You Khin' at the Dalam Southeast Asia project space at National Gallery Singapore, curator and art historian Roger Nelson proposed that Chen adopted a "planetary consciousness" and recognised that "cultures can never be completely understood from the outside." Reflecting this idea, her etching 'African Highway' (1996) portrays figures at a distance. Rather than attempt to reveal their personal stories, the work hints at their identities by depicting outerwear and physical surroundings. Chen further emphasised their ungraspable nature by varying the colour tones and line textures during the etching process, producing the impression of an ever shifting landscape.

Ho E Moi, ‘Enlightenment’, 2014, etching, 48 x 42.5cm, edition 25 of 30. Image courtesy of artcommune gallery and AC43 Gallery.

Another artist who worked at the LASALLE Printing Workshop was Ho E Moi (b. 1947), who likewise used printmaking techniques to document her travels. Her work 'Enlightenment' (2014) was inspired by a trip to Tibet in 2003, where she encountered the footprint of the Buddhist religious leader, Atiśa Dīpankara Śrījñāna. The artist continually honed her lithography and etching skills at the printing workshop between 1985 and the 2000s. "I learnt to create prints from etching from Ms Chng Seok Tin," reflects Ho E Moi. "From Mdm Chen Cheng Mei, I developed a sensitivity to mixing with colours." Like Chen, she also adopted Atelier 17's simultaneous colour printing method, a process that utilises the principle of viscosity to print multiple colours onto a single plate.

Pulp Editions

Chen Shitong. Image courtesy of artcommune gallery and AC43 Gallery.

Established by Chen Shitong over 30 years after LASALLE was founded, the independent workshop Pulp Editions has been dedicated to inspiring future generations of printmakers. Since 2017, they have collaborated with close to 10 artists to create new artworks using traditional printmaking methods, despite many difficulties posed by the pandemic. "Chen Shitong's struggles, aspirations and sacrifices are all too familiar," observes curators Ma Peiyi and Wong Pei Lin. "One can draw many parallels with the earlier generation of printmakers, and the tenacity and spirit of collaboration involved in such an enterprise."

Chen Shitong, ‘Travellers #3’, 2021, collagraph, lithograph and screen print on paper, 37 x 29cm. Image courtesy of artcommune gallery and AC43 Gallery.

Fascinated by textures of natural found objects, Chen's prints often feature the motif of a weathered rock formation. He combines the methods of lithography, screen printing and collagraphy, which involves the inking of various materials to create a collage of printed surfaces. Tiny figures roam the crevices of his printed shapes; they walk, climb, crouch and sometimes appear to be speaking with one another. Driven by experimentation and inspired by contemporary life, his work foregrounds the connections between people and places, presenting a visual collage of individuals going about their day.

Nhawfal Juma'at, ‘To Leave: Ad Astra Per Aspera I’, 2019, lithography, 64 x 45cm, edition 2 of 4. Image courtesy of artcommune gallery and AC43 Gallery.

Nhawfal Juma'at (b. 1991), a recent artist resident at Pulp Editions, showcases his series ‘To Leave: Ad Astra Per Aspera I' (2019). The Latin title translates to the phrase "to the stars through hardships", which the artist uses to describe the totality of human experiences. With a diverse practice in painting, ceramics, photography and poetry, participating in a lithography residency was a new endeavour. "Shitong guided and inspired me to appreciate the disciplined nature of printmaking," ruminates Juma'at. "The residency helped me recalibrate my thought process and be sensitive to the necessary steps required for an artwork to mature." With such sensitivity, his prints incorporate a combination of lithography, sketches and hand-written text. The works then showcase his thought process as part of the final product, blurring the lines between ideation and conclusion.

Possessing a clear curatorial vision, 'The Story of Two Presses' sheds light on Singapore's much overlooked world of printmaking. While the earlier generation of printmakers laid the foundation, the present artistic community is working hard to continue its legacy. "The local art scene is gradually opening up, and it is heartening to see art spaces like artcommune gallery willing to promote printmaking as an art form to the public," expresses Chen Shitong. "Looking forward, there is still work to be done, such as providing spaces for practice, giving more opportunities for students, and making information and materials more easily accessible."

'The Story of Two Presses' will run from 15 to 30 April 2022 at artcommune gallery. More information here.