LIFE AS ART
AARON GAN
LIFE AS ART
AARON GAN
FOREWORD
FOREWORD Born in Singapore in 1979, Aaron Gan is a talented yet pragmatic watercolour painter unbounded by techniques or subjects. His desire to create the next masterpiece propels him to constantly challenge himself. As an ardent collector of art, I find his wide breadth of subjects in the watercolour medium, ranging from birdcages to water buffaloes, most refreshing. It also speaks volumes of his innovation and desire to break free from the boundaries of traditional watercolours. In 2012, he was one of only 3 Asian artists, and the only Singaporean, to participate in the International Watercolour Biennial in Belgium. He was also the first ever Singaporean artist to be featured in Artist’s Palette, one of Australia’s leading art magazine. His direction towards developing contemporary aesthetics has been well received by the arts community; with two consecutive sold-out solo exhibitions in 2013 and 2014. His works are collected widely both in Singapore and internationally. He has also found support from corporate clients such as Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Keppel FEL, GIC and others. Aaron comes from a distinctly unique background. To quit one’s job and plunge into painting full-time at the age of 33 with a family, a child and an 80% pay cut takes guts, some may even say it is foolhardy. Yet a decision as such can only be undertaken by someone with an unwavering conviction to his art. Today, Aaron stands as one of the most exciting artist of his generation. He has stepped into the next phase of his artistic development: inventing an entirely new language in watercolour. With this introduction, I invite you to explore the inner workings of his mind as well as discovering a whole new frontier, one where paintings not only represent what can be seen, but rather what cannot be seen.
Koh Seow Chuan Chairman, Visual Arts Cluster Advisory Board
MESSAGE
GUEST-OF-HONOR’S MESSAGE Life as Art tells the story of a promising, young Singaporean
Determined to change perceptions of this traditional art medium, Aaron’s interpretation of watercolour has brought new life to this Aaron has managed to create an exciting new language that has not
Indeed, the Government strives to create the environment in which all Singaporeans can enjoy art, and to create platforms on which artistic
of formal training, Aaron has represented Singapore at the International Watercolour Biennale in Belgium in 2012 and held solo
Aaron is an amazing example of how all Singaporeans have the chance to pursue their aspirations, be it in the arts or otherwise, through
It leaves me to congratulate Aaron on the launch of this exhibition.
Yeo Whee Jim Director（Arts and Heritage） Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
PREFACE
PREFACE I love reading. Some of the quotes in this book are my own, most are collected from books and comics that I have read or movies that I have seen. Whenever I get an artist’s block, I will look to my readings for inspiration. Bruce Lee said, “Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless. Like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.” Before understanding art, one must first understand the self. If you paint like you live your life, you will be one with your art. Watercolour attracted me because of its fluidity and unpredictability. The harder you try to control it, the less control you have of it. To advance you must first retreat. To gain control, you have to first lose control. It forces you to focus on the journey rather than on the destination. By learning to trust what cannot be predicted, only then, and only when heaven shines on you, can a great painting be arrived at. The beauty of Chinese ink lies in its honesty. While western art tends to emphasize on design and technique, Chinese ink to me, is more of the cultivation of the spirit. Through the brushstrokes, paintings come to life. For the brushstrokes are the extensions of the brush, and the brush is the extension of the hand, and the hand is the extension of the body and soul. Remove either the brushstrokes or the brush and you will get a painting without life. “Life as art” is the accumulation of the 3 things I hold dear: my love for watercolour, my respect for Chinese ink and my search for life’s questions. I hope when you finish reading this book, you too will find the questions that you have always been looking for.
Aaron Gan Artist
ESSAY
THE CHINESE SCHOLAR PAINTING ST IN THE 21 CENTURY In “Life as Art”, Aaron Gan attempted to create Chinese paintings with watercolours. By this, I mean that he experimented with handling the pigments in such a way that the art has the colours muted and the brushwork loose, large areas are left unpainted, making the spatial relations between the different components ambiguous. The artist seems to be concerned with composition and brush play, and less so with depicting figures and objects with a high degree of optical realism. The art is as much writing as it is painting, and suggests that it is inspired not so much by “Chinese painting” in a general sense, but specifically by the scholar painting. Also known as the literati painting, the Chinese scholar painting has been around at least since the Song dynasty. It was the art of the elite scholar class, and was thought to be closely linked to intellectual pursuits favoured by its members poetry and calligraphy. Despite its early origins, the scholar painting has survived for more than a thousand years, and we can still see variants of it in contemporary art exhibitions today: Aaron Gan’s art on the pages of this book is testament to its importance in the 21st-century. Art historian David Summers argues that two of the key questions we should ask about art is: why is it made in a certain way, and why does it continue to be made? This essay is about the importance of the literati painting in society: in addition to a brief historical account, it speculates on the reasons why it is still popular with artists and collectors centuries later.
According to art historian Susan Bush, although the term “literati painting” is commonly used, its meaning is not fixed. Today, a broad definition of the term would say that, first, it is an art of scholars rather than artisans, and its merits are dependent on the personal qualities of the artist. Second, it is an art produced by the scholars in their spare time, for their own amusement rather than for instrumental reasons: playful brushwork is more important than likeness. Through the millennia in imperial China, the continued importance of the literati painting had to do with how it embodied certain “scholarly values” - a kind of status symbol. As the imperial examination was theoretically open to all, education was seen as a means to social mobility and was highly valued. “Amateurism” was a recurring theme in the history of the scholar painting: it was thought that unlike the artisan, scholars did not need to paint as part of their job, nor did they paint for a living; they painted for their own amusement and for communication with their peers. Their paintings were compared to other activities they were adept at, such as calligraphy and poetry writing, and were judged less on likeness and more on feeling and spontaneity. Despite its beginnings as the art of an educated minority, the styles, practices and theories of the scholar painting were later accepted by a larger segment of society. Changes in patronage also meant that this art was associated with other social classes. For example, in the Song dynasty, priests admired the scholar-painters and adopted the art of the latter as their own, and in the Ming dynasty, the wealthy merchants, especially those in the prosperous coastal cities, became key patrons. By the Qing dynasty, stylistic devices associated with the scholar painting were seen in the works of all kinds of artists, including those who painted for a living: “amateurism” had become about appearance rather than a description of economic disinterest. The scholar painting began to lose its appeal by the late
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19th-century. A reason for this was the decline of the status of the Chinese scholar. By this time, China had suffered economically from years of internal conflict and battles with the Western powers. A large number of educated elites believed that China was “ill” and was in need of radical reforms. Having a deep respect for the past - central to the career of a scholar - was no longer thought to be as important as it once was. Freed from the hold of history, artists began to look to other cultures for inspiration. They were especially attracted to the art of Western Europe, mainly because its cultures were seen to be modern and progressive - something that China aspired to be. Some artists had their eyes fixed on the optical realism of European academic paintings, while others were drawn to the freer lines and more vibrant palettes of the modernist masters. While the artists were searching for an art for the new and modern China, the scholar painting, seen by some as a relic, acquired a new importance: it was thought of as “modern”. One of the concerns of the educated elites in China at the time was that Chinese painting, as it was practiced in the late 19th-century and early 20th-century, was no longer about spontaneity and intuition. Instead, it had become an art that adhered to rigid rules that had gone unquestioned for centuries. In order for Chinese art to progress, the intellectuals thought, it had to regain the spirit of playfulness. Some believed that the solution was in Western modernist paintings, such as those by Van Gogh (1853-1890) and Gauguin (1848-1903). They interpreted the loose brushwork and vibrant colours as signs of breaking the rules laid down by traditional art academies: the paintings were not meticulously planned and executed as required by these rules, but were created based on the artist’s individual observations and feelings. Lines, shapes and colours were used not only to describe a human figure, a mountain or a tree, but also for expressive purposes. For a number of Chinese artists who admired the European modernist masters, such signs of life and spontaneity were also found in Chinese
scholar paintings. For instance, they believed that the brushwork of late-Ming artist Shi Tao (1642-1717) had much in common with that of Van Gogh. Instead of treating the art of the two masters as being shaped by unrelated cultural circumstances, the visual resemblance was seen as evidence of how the “modern” in European art was already present in Chinese art of the past: the scholar painting was not outdated, but was modern and was in need of revival. The emphasis on spontaneity and intuition in literati painting is also related to an anxiety certain 20th-century Chinese intellectuals had about technology. For example, according to art historian Aida Yuen Wong, Chen Hengke (1876-1923), a well-known calligrapher and painter of the period, compared the literati painting with photography. He thought that creating a photograph was mainly about producing an image mechanically: it was more machine than human. The literati painting, in contrast, distinguished itself as an art that required a complex combination of thought, feelings and movement that could never be duplicated by a mechanical device. Of course, Chen appeared to have discounted the involvement of a human being in selecting and framing a subject matter. it was about human agency. The idea that the scholar painting is an art that was made by a human hand rather than a machine is key to its continued popularity in the 21st-century. David Geers, in his essay a comeback in the contemporary art market. It is an art that is concerned with material choice and the process of creation. Its recent appearance is a “comeback” because a similar kind of art was seen in the earlier part of the 20th-century, with the expressionist painting being an example. This type of art involved the artist showing his or her presence by leaving traces of the creative process - such as the movement of the arm holding a paintbrush - for the viewer to see. Such an art, however, was supplanted later by artworks that celebrated the smooth and glossy “machine-made” aesthetics of mass culture, including those by the likes of Jeff Koons (born 1955) and Takashi Murakami (born 1962). For Geers, the return of a kind of “hand-made” aesthetics has to do with how the art market, immersed in the uncertainties brought about by economic and technological changes, has a nostalgia for art that bears traces of the artist’s creative hand. He argues that much of the art produced today is largely concerned with manipulation of material by hand: it is about
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“artistic labour” and “tactile engagement with matter” - attributes of artmaking that are thought of as “endearing” but “endangered”. Given the current state of art market, it is not surprising that the Chinese literati painting, with its emphasis free brush play, has remained popular with artists and collectors. Engagement with material seems to be key to Aaron Gan’s creative process. In the preface to this volume, the artist describes watercolour pigments as “fluid and unpredictable”. In order to achieve a certain formal outcome, he has to “retreat” in order to “advance”, and to “lose control” in order to gain it. His language suggests collaboration rather than manipulation and domination. Further in the preface, he discusses the material as though it is not a separate entity from the artist: his brushwork is an extension of his life through the brush, his hand, body and soul. As we saw earlier, in imperial China, a scholar’s painting was thought to be dependent on his personal qualities. The idea that there is no boundary between art, the artist and the world at large could also have come from the cybernetics theories that gained popularity in the 1960s in the United States - theories that are currently influential in certain contemporary art circles, particularly those of the “new media” variety. Thus, Aaron Gan’s paintings in “Life as Art” are shaped by the sentiments of the contemporary art world as well as the theories that are currently circulating within it. I began the essay with the question: why would a young artist in the 21st-century like Aaron Gan be interested in the Chinese scholar painting, which has been around for more than a thousand years? My attempts at answering the question led us to take a look at the brief history of this art. We saw that through the centuries of its existence, the literati painting has been considered important to society in different ways. Rather than being an unchanging art that has transcended time and space, it is continually shaped by a confluences of forces that are particular to the various historical periods.
References Bush, Susan. The Chinese Literati on Painting: Su Shih (1037-1101) to Tung Ch’i-ch’ang (1555-1636). Cambridge, MA: Harvard-Yenching Institute, 1971.
Summers, David. Real Spaces: World Art History and the Rise of Western Modernism. London: Phaidon, 2003. Art, Modern Expressions. Edited by Maxwell K. Hearn and 28-59. Wang, Eugene Y. “Sketch Conceptualism as Modernist Contingency”. In Chinese Art, Modern Expressions. Edited by Museum of Art, 2001, 103-161. Wong, Aida Yuen. Parting the Mists: Discovering Japan and the University of Hawaii Press, 2006. Turner, Fred. From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Utopianism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006.
Yow Siew Kah Researcher on Singapore Art
When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
Supple 28 x 37 cm 2014
That which is hard is brittle; it breaks easily. That which is pliant endures.
Opposites 28 x 37 cm 2014
High and low rest on each other; far and near follow each other.
Bridge 76 x 28 cm 2014
Down is up.
Longevity 76 x 28 cm 2014
The choices we make about our lives determine the legacies we leave.
Transcience 76 x 28 cm 2014
Don’t judge. Just observe.
Home 76 x 28 cm 2014
There is more than one path home.
Dance 76 x 28 cm 2014
They laugh at me because I'm different. I laugh at them because they're all the same.
Conviction 76 x 28 cm 2014
All man are the same except for their belief in their selves, regardless of what others may think of them.
Soundless 76 x 28 cm 2014
How can you suffer calamities if you have no ego?
Silent 76 x 28 cm 2014
He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.
Unruffled 76 x 28 cm 2014
Stay calm in the face of danger and no harm will befall you.
Gold 76 x 28 cm 2014
There is no such thing as red bamboos.
Integrity 76 x 28 cm 2014
To be plaint is to be humble and uncompetitive.
Rest 28 x 76 cm 2014
There is no shortage of time, only a confusion of priorities.
Content 76 x 28 cm 2014
What a wonderful life I’ve had! If only I had realized it sooner.
Respect 76 x 28 cm 2014
Being liked is different from being respected.
çˆą
Love 76 x 28 cm 2014
Treasure your loved ones everyday.
Pair 76 x 28 cm 2014
Life’s better with someone by your side.
Hidden 76 x 28 cm 2014
It is hardest when you can’t see the fruit of your labor.
Harvest 76 x 28 cm 2014
You must sow before you can harvest.
Carefree 76 x 28 cm 2014
When the heart has no desires, everywhere is paradise.
稳
Steadfast 76 x 28 cm 2014
The moment you take responsibility for everything in your life is the moment you can change anything in your life.
Why do you paint?
Because I am holding my brush.
New 37 x 56 cm 2014
In life, there are no mistakes, only lessons.
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Confidence 76 x 28 cm 2014
I don’t have an attitude problem. They have a perception problem.
Drift 76 x 28 cm 2014
I travel with the wind.
é—Ž
Ask 76 x 28 cm 2014
What is the question?
Observe 76 x 28 cm 2014
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
领
Lead 76 x 28 cm 2014
To lead you must first follow.
ĺżľ
Remembrance 56 x 76 cm 2014
Absence makes the heart fonder.
Open Skies 76 x 28 cm 2014
Life is an adventure.
City and Us 76 x 28 cm 2014
Think lightly of yourself and think deeply of the world.
玀
Simple 76 x 28 cm 2014
There is always a price to pay. You either pay it now or you pay it later.
é —
Vanishing Sights 76 x 28 cm 2014
A nation without history is like a tree without roots.
ĺ˝’
Return 76 x 28 cm 2014
Everything will be alright in the end. If it is not alright, it is not the end yet.
Roots 76 x 28 cm 2014
Living life forward, understanding it backwards.
Gratitude 76 x 28 cm 2014
Life is a privilege, not a right.
烧
Roasts 76 x 28 cm 2014
When tired, sleep; when hungry, eat.
Grace 76 x 28 cm 2014
Dance like no one is watching.
ć‹Š
Choice 56 x 76 cm 2014
Living the dream is different from living your dream.
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Full 76 x 28 cm 2014
We mold clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside the pot that makes it useful.
The brush has to be more than a painting tool, it has to be an answer to life’s questions.
EPILOGUE
EPILOGUE When I first introduced the long scroll format and Chinese ink elements into watercolour painting in 2012, it was an anomaly. There were many criticism and negative remarks then. Singapore watercolours had always been dominated by paintings of street scenes that were detailed and highly descriptive. I was an outsider looking in. “Life as Art” would never have come about if not for 2 very important persons – Mr Choy Weng Yang and Dr Pwee Keng Hock. When I felt like a lone boat rowing against the tide, it was Mr Choy who encouraged me to press on. After facing rejections after rejections, it was Dr Pwee who gave me a platform. It is only appropriate that I end this book with essays from my two benefactors: Mr Choy for encouraging me to push the boundaries; and Dr Pwee, who gave me the opportunity to stay true to my brush. Mr Choy’s essay was written in 2012 for my first solo exhibition while Artist Award nomination. I hope the essays would provide readers with a context as to when my affection for watercolours and Chinese ink started, and how it has evolved into what it is today.
Aaron Gan Artist
ESSAY
THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE For one solid year from 2011 to 2012, Aaron Gan immersed himself passionately and intensively in the illusive art of watercolour. His forte was the depiction of nature. But it was his personal gift in his painting approach - his incisiveness in pictorial conception and skillful watercolour techniques – which raised his watercolour art above fellow practitioners at that point of development. The special distinction in Gan’s watercolour art lies in the fact that he had the foresight and courage to distance himself from the status-quo, from the substantial body of watercolour techniques which has been repeatedly tested, which has been well endorsed and documented, and which faultless logic has wide appeal, leading to countless watercolour practitioners achieving popular appeal in their artworks. As a serious and ardent watercolour exponent, Gan is driven by the ideals beyond the widely accepted standardized quest in watercolour art. Obsessed with the urge to continuously search for fresh and profound ideas, he was captivated by the philosophical concepts of Zen and Tao (Way) – concepts not related directly to artistic endeavor. He not only accepted unorthodoxy in his approach to art but, in fact, embraced it. In time, Gan discovered the fascination of Chinese ink painting. He was intrigued by the fact that such an artistic repertoire as Chinese ink painting which painting boundary was so severely bounded in artistic concept, painting techniques and painting materials - black ink, rice paper, supple brushes and water - could, in the hands of brilliant masters in this unique art form, forge masterworks of the highest
resilience. Out of irresistible curiosity, Gan plunged immediately into intimate comparison with his two favorite art media – watercolour, which he had close contact and Chinese ink painting, which he sensed exciting possibilities. The conclusion: The perennial strength of watercolour was its intriguing visual transparency; while the potential strength of Chinese ink painting was the intuitive command in ink expression. As a serious painter, Gan is constantly concerned with the scope and endurance of his art. For him an artistic endeavor is a long, demanding and turbulent journey but one that is exciting, continuously evolving and fresh vistas are opened up along the way enabling the artist’s vision to grow in perpetuity. For him, Chinese painter Wu Guangzhong’s enduring and resilient painting career has been both enlightening and inspirational. Spanning a breathtaking seven decades, Wu’s artistic journey is characterized by the revolutionary transitions which clearly reflect his fierce determination to effect important changes in the visual art in China. Wu’s tremendous success in all the three transitions is eventually evident: In Hangzhou, he succeeded in his own terms, to rediscover the essence of the traditions in Chinese ink painting; later in Paris – painting amidst brilliant artists, Wu created his series of oil paintings notable for its painterly technical stringency and visual clarity; and eventually returning to China, a euphoric home-coming, he plunged into his ambitious artistic challenge – an attempt to liberalize and modernize traditional Chinese ink painting. As Gan began his experiments to forge a new direction in his art through the fusion of watercolour and Chinese ink painting, a cluster of his recent works took on a special significance. These paintings include: Opportunity, Roots and Abundance. They vividly reflected three crucial achievements – the
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preservation of watercolor transparency, the acquisition of the instinctive, terse brushwork of Chinese ink painting and, most important for Gan, the uncanny fusion of media innate sensitivity and technical ingenuity. On his thoughts for the future of his artistic development, Gan said: I am determined first to forge a unique personal style of creditable standard – something which all aspiring artists work towards. But in the long run, after years of struggle, I aspire to making a mark in the Singapore Art scene and being an influential artist to a younger generation. I believe Dr Chen Wen Hsi and Wu Guangzhong have achieved such a status.
Choy Weng Yang Artist
ESSAY
THE TRANSPARENCY OF AARON GAN’S WORTH AND WATERCOLORS My first viewing of Aaron Gan’s works reminded me instantly of Lim Cheng Hoe, our pioneer watercolourist in the British watercolor tradition who led the way for generations of hobbyists and professionals to achieve excellence in this most recognizable of Singaporean visual art forms. But while watercolours here have remain rather ossified in countless depictions of Chinatown and the Singapore River, Aaron breathes a breath of fresh air through his expressive and rapidly-executed works. The spontaneity and life in his watercolours are apparent; careful drafting, pencil sketching and meticulous painting is not for Aaron. His colours are applied in a single layer wash, and not in hesitant repeat layers. Washes and strokes are applied boldly, so that compositions are urgent and immediate. Although some pieces give a reverential nod to traditional Singaporean urbanscapes, these are rare, and Aaron has never allowed familiar subjects fetter his compositions. He is at his most comfortable in natural landscapes, which is relatively unusual for Singapore watercolourists, but vegetation allows Aaron a certain degree of wild abandon in strokes. He is also fond of sea- and waterscapes, which lend themselves well to watercolour washes. While Aaron’s earliest work was grounded in the British tradition, his work for his first solo show, A Point of View (2013) began to introduce compositions inspired by traditional Chinese painting. Although Aaron has not had any formal training in Chinese ink, his observational skills were able to weave several hallowed tenets of Chinese ink into his watercolours, particularly its brushwork, long scroll formats and use of empty space.
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The closely related media of watercolours and Chinese ink might indicate many fruitful grounds for artists to explore, but curiously, I do not believe any contemporary local watercolourist has tried this yet. There is an element of symbolism in a number of his works as well, not something expected from a local watercolor which has always seemed very descriptive. In Beacon (2012), the light comes not from the obvious lamp, but a bus-stop to the side, indicating that in life, the way forward may not come from the most obvious source. Several of his pieces have a figure looking out into the distance, a metaphor for his hopes and dreams of an artistic future. For a number of pieces, the objects arranged become a pattern, an almost abstraction which seems to matter more than the objects, whether they be birdcages, lychees, crocodiles or pots.
serious professional pursuit of art. However for his late start in art, this remains the only year in which he would be eligible for the Young Artist Award. Although unable to embark on CV-building exercise like others under contention because of his age, the committee would do well to consider his innate artistic promise which has achieved much already in the short time he has turned professional. His art is in a field that Singapore is well-known for and would do well to develop, acknowledge and recognize. Aaron’s work is already well-received and liked by the public, so an occasional award to a non-academic candidate like him may actually help the currency and visibility of the prize, especially its Visual Arts awardees, rather than a more esoteric awardee whom few might be familiar with. His story and success would also encourage those with raw talent not to give up on an artistic career.
Pwee Keng Hock Director, Utterly Art
Aaron’s output so far shows much promise in the different directions that he could proceed, even lead in, for Singapore watercolours. The local practices seem to be overly standardized in both technique and content, whereas Aaron’s output in the past year alone has shown many different promising directions. He was one of only three Asians selected to participate in the International Watercolour Biennale in Belgium (2012), a rare distinction for someone so early in his career and doing Singapore proud. His first solo exhibition in Jan 2013 also met with overwhelming commercial success (51 pieces sold), attracting both Singaporeans and foreign buyers who were able to relate to his technique and compositions. Foreign collectors also recently bought his work at the first Affordable Art Fair in Hong Kong. Artist’s Palette, one of Australia’s leading art magazines, is featuring Aaron in a full article in an upcoming issue. Aaron’s story and art has also been covered in 2013) and Lianhe Zaobao (Jan 2013). Aaron’s passion for his art is self-evident, as he has given up a promising and well-paying business to channel his efforts full-time into art, thus showing his dedication in devoting his practice to painting, and
BIOGRAPHY
BIOGRAPHY
BIOGRAPHY Aaron Gan Born in Singapore in 1979 Solo Exhibitions 2014 2014 2013
Vivid Vistas, Utterly Art Gallery, Singapore Aaron Gan’s Showcase, Ode to Art Gallery, Singapore A Point of View, Utterly Art Gallery, Singapore
Selected Group Exhibitions 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013-2014 2013-2014 2012-2014
Singapore Art Fair, Singapore Citizen Art Shanghai, Shanghai Kwerkee Art Launch Exhibition, Singapore Convergences, Asia Art Collective, Singapore My Dreams. Our Hopes, LWH Gallery, Shanghai Affordable Art Fair, Hong Kong Art Apart Fair, Singapore Affordable Art Fair, Singapore
2012-2014
Singapore Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition, Singapore Singapore Art Society Annual Exhibition, Singapore International Watercolor Biennial, Belgium
2012-2014 2012
Interviews and Reviews “Drawn to Art”, The Straits Times, 2013 “颜明正重彩出击”, Lianhe Zaobao, 2013 “Insight-Aaron Gan”, Artist Palette, 2013 “The transparency of Aaron Gan’s worth and watercolors”, Pwee Keng Hock, 2013 “The challenge of change”, Choy Weng Yang, 2012 Collections and Commissions GIC Keppel FES Ministry of Foreign Affairs Private collectors Others
Different Strokes “刻石是一件苦事，眼高手低心里想像的， 手下刻不出很闷。唯有上下探索，刻了磨弃 ，磨了再刻，不知人磨石，还是石磨人。平 生有缘石来磨， 我看石头心就乐，不知石头 见我乐不乐。” 陈振文 Tan Chin Boon
The journey of life is never trodden alone. I have been fortunate to meet many great artists and their generosity in sharing their insights has been instrumental in my growth as an artist. I have invited 3 of them to share their thoughts on life and their art: Mr Tan Chin Boon is a seal carver well-respected among the Singapore Chinese art community.
“人在每呼吸一瞬间，吐故纳新，感悟于当 下。呼吸之间，时时更新自我，让生命常青 。艺术的追求，也是如此。” 郑木彰 Tay Bak Chiang
“一切好的作品，不论时代，最重要的特质 ，就是要能耐看。” 赖瑞龙 Nai Swee Leng
Mr Tay Bak Chiang is a contemporary Chinese artist who is known for his groundbreaking works in Chinese ink on traditional rice paper. Mr Nai Swee Leng is a Chinese painter devoted to the ink and brush. He is widely known for his Chinese ink paintings of
Acknowledgements I would like to thank those who have helped me one way or another on this special journey: Ms Mr Mr Mr Mr Mr Ms Mr Mr Ms Ms Ms Mr Mr Ms
April Hong Benson Ang Chan Chang How Cheng Yoke Kion Choo Thiam Siew Choy Weng Yang Deepika Shetty Donald Tan Hua Tye Swee Iola Liu Josephine Chia Jazz Chong Kenneth Tan Lee Woon Hoe Lisabel Ting
Ms Maren Ong Mr Ooi Can Seng Dr Pwee Keng Hock Ms Rachael Boon Mr Santokh Singh Grewal Mr Seah Kang Chui Mr Tan Chin Boon Ms Tan Sooi Peng Mr Teh Wao Kheng Mr Vin Leo Ms Yvette Lai F S Workstation G S Arts Framing Straits Art Co.
I am indebted to Mr Koh Seow Chuan, Mr Yeo Whee Jim and Mr Yow Siew Kah for taking the time, despite their busy schedules, to contribute to the foreword, message and essay respectively. Special thanks goes to my collectors. Many have become friends who provide me with support and valuable feedback. My greatest thanks goes to my wife, Wendy Leo, who has been the bedrock of the family and and my children Charmaine and Raphael, for teaching me more about life than I could ever teach them.
Life as Art ç”&#x; First published in 2015 By Aaron Gan www.aarongan.com Š 2014 Aaron Gan utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Printed and bound in Singapore by Oxford Graphic Printers Pte Ltd