Artist Biography
Tan Swie Hian (b. 1943, Pulau Halang, Indonesia, based in Singapore) is a prominent self-taught artist, novelist and poet whose work explores nature and humanity through the lens of Buddhist teachings. Drawing widely across sources including Chinese ink traditions, calligraphy, Indonesian textiles and Expressionism, he is best known for paintings that blend Eastern and Western influences, resulting in bold brushwork, symbolic detail and vivid colour.
Following the publication of his modern poetry in the late 1960s, Tan turned his focus toward visual art and held his first exhibition in 1973—the same year he converted to Buddhism. His newfound spiritual inclinations would shape his approach to art-making, particularly meditation, enabling what he considers a “free mind” for the expression of beauty. In works on paper such as Scenery (The Incoming Summits) (1986), two mountain peaks, upon which trees are perched, appear to spiral towards the centre of the painting where a pink-tinged horizon radiates. The artist combines an Expressionist palette with the compositional quality of Chinese landscape paintings to produce a lyrical image that straddles abstraction and figuration.
Tan’s work is held in numerous collections including National Gallery Singapore. For his contributions to the art landscape in Singapore, Tan was conferred the prestigious Cultural Medallion for Visual Arts in 1987.
Notable exhibitions include Anatomy of a Free Mind (2016), National Library, Singapore; Embracing Infinity (2004), Singapore Art Museum; Charity Exhibition (2003), World Economic Forum, Davos; Tan Swie Hian (1978), Gauguin Museum, Tahiti; and Paintings of Infused Contemplation (1973), National Library, Singapore. The artist has also participated in major international festivals including Dreams and Conflicts (2003), 50th Venice Biennale.
Tan had his residency at the STPI Workshop in 2003.