Goh Ee Choo (b. 12 December 1962, Singapore - ) is an established Singaporean contemporary artist who uses multiple mediums. He has won awards and accolades in Singapore and abroad, including the Jurors' Choice in the Philip Morris Singapore Art Awards of 1996, 1997 and 1999. Besides participating actively in local and overseas exhibitions, he has taught art at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and the LASALLE College of the Arts.
Art education
Goh entered NAFA in 1979 to receive his first formal training in art. He left in 1980 to enlist in National Service but returned to resume his art training in 1983. Although he was known as one of the "three bad boys" at NAFA - along with fellow students S. Chandrasekaran and Salleh Japar - he graduated with a Diploma in Fine Arts in 1985.
In 1988, he was awarded the British Council Fellowship in Fine Art and went to the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, United Kingdom to further his art education. He graduated in 1990 with a Higher Diploma in Fine Art.
Influence and philosophy
A Taoist who later became a follower of Tibetan Buddhism, Goh is an active supporter of H. H. Sakya Trizin and his sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Heavily influenced by his religious beliefs, he has produced works on Buddhism, including a series entitled Substantialism. In line with his Buddhist beliefs, he sees art as an embodiment of truth and seeks to attain truth in his works. This philosophy is integral to his art.
Accomplishments
Goh is a versatile artist. He uses a range of mediums such as oil, acrylic, watercolour, collage, relief, printmaking, pen and ink. His art includes paintings, installation pieces and performance work, and he is known particularly for creating innovative multi-media works.
His works have been exhibited both locally and internationally, as far afield as France, Denmark and the United States. He is also no stranger to awards. Since picking up the Tan Tsze Chor Art Award for Young Artists in 1985, he has won a string of awards, clinching the Jurors' Choice in the annual Philip Morris Singapore Art Awards not once but three times.
Selected exhibitions
1983 : First ASEAN Youth Painting Workshop & Exhibition, Bangkok, Thailand.
1985 : Environmental Art Workshop and Exhibition, Goethe-Institut Art Gallery, Singapore.
1985 : East Meets West, Alliance Francaise, Singapore.
1986 : Not the Singapore River, Arbour Fine Art Gallery, Singapore.
1986 : First Shell Discovery Art Exhibition, Shell Tower, Singapore.
1986 - 1987 : Artistes Contemporains de Singapour, Le Grand Palais, Paris, France.
1987 : Quintet, Arbour Fine Art Gallery, Singapore.
1987 : First Artists Regional Exchange (ARX), Blackswan Gallery, Fremantle, Australia.
1988 : Trimurti, Goethe-Institut Art Gallery, Singapore.
1989 : Third Asian Art Show, Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan.
1990 : Singapore Artists Speak, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore.
1991 : Power Structure, Goethe-Institut, Singapore.
1991 : Many-In-One: 25 Years of Art from Singapore, travelling exhibition in the United States.
1991 : Second ASEAN Painting and Photography Travelling Exhibition, ASEAN countries.
1993 : The Rite of Silence, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore.
1993 : Art in Asia, World Trade Centre, Singapore.
1993 : The Co-Exhibition of Four Asian Artists, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan.
1993 : Sixth Asian Art Biennale, Bangladesh Shipakala Academy.
1994 : Windows on Singapore Art, travelling exhibition to China and Hong Kong.
1994 : Third ASEAN Painting and Photography Travelling Exhibition, ASEAN countries.
1994 : 5 Directions: Recent Works by Five Young Singaporean Artists, Takashimaya Art Gallery, Singapore.
1995 : Four Currents: Creative Centre, National Arts Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
1995 : Contemporary Art from Non-Aligned Countries, National Art Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia.
1995 : Container 96: Art Across the Ocean, Copenhagen, Denmark.
1996 : Beyond Boundaries, NAFA, Singapore.
1998 : Trimurti and Ten Years After, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore.
1999 : A Brave New World, Soobin Art Gallery, Singapore.
2002 : New Works, Art Motion Gallery, Singapore.
Selected Awards
1985 : Tan Tsze Chor Award for Young Artists, Singapore.
1986 : Consolation Prize (Environmental Art), Goethe-Institut, Singapore.
1986 : First Prize (Representational Category), UOB Painting of the Year Competition, Singapore.
1986 : Consolation Prize, Kallang Art Competition, Singapore.
1988 : The British Council Fellowship in Fine Art, The British Council, Singapore.
1993 : Honourable Mention, Sixth Asian Art Biennale, Bangladesh.
1994 : Visual Art Award, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Singapore.
1996 : Jurors' Choice, Philip Morris Singapore/ASEAN Art Awards, Singapore.
1997 : Jurors' Choice, Philip Morris Singapore/ASEAN Art Awards, Singapore.
1999 : Jurors' Choice, Philip Morris Singapore/ASEAN Art Awards, Singapore.
Author
Mok Mei Feng
References
Cheong, S. (1999, August 23). Five make it as Jurors' Choices. The Straits Times. Retrieved February 14, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Chow, C. (2002, December 9). No shocks, just lots of fun. The Straits Times. Retreived February 14, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Goh, E. C. (c1996). Beyond boundaries, 21-24 January 1996: Works by Goh Ee Choo & Saleh Japar. [Singapore]: Printed by Golden Earth Printers.
(Call no.: RSING 759.95957 GOH)
Kwok, K. C. (c1996). Channels & confluences: A history of Singapore art. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum.
(Call no.: RSING 709.5957 KWO)
Leong, J. (Ed.). (2000). Young contemporary artists in Singapore. Singapore: Art & Artist Speak.
(Call no.: RSING 759.95957 YOU)
Lim, R. [Ed.]. (c1990). Singapore artists speak. Singapore: C.H. Yeo.
(Call no.: RSING 709.5957 SIN)
Many in one: 25 years of art from Singapore. (c1991). Singapore: National Museum.
(Call no.: RSING 759.95957 MAN)
Narayan, P. (1999, February 4). Good ideas but do the people know? The Straits Times. Retrieved February 14, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Nayar, P. (1999, August 28). Winning works by Singapore artists. The Straits Times. Retrieved February 20, 2009, from Factiva database.
Oon, C. (1998, December 2). Three cheers: Tonight, we paint in the storeroom. The Straits Times. Retrieved February 14, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Sankaran, R. (1994, September 21). Goh Ee Choo receives special award for his works in Dhaka Art Fest. The Straits Times. Retrieved February 14, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Sian, E. J. (1998, December 2). Truth liberates: Money is the draw. The Straits Times. Retrieved February 20, 2009, from Factiva database.
Singapore artist directory. (1992). Singapore: Empress Place Museum.
(Call no.: RSING 709.59570922 SAD -[DIR])
Wong, S. (1994, November 18). Five different styles, but one common objective. The Straits Times. Retrieved February 14, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Further reading
Sabapathy, T. K. (Ed.). (1998). Trimurti and ten years after. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum.
(Call no.: RSING 700.95957 TRI)
The information in this article is valid as at 2009 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
