Tan Swie Hian

Tan Swie Hian (zh-sp |s=陈瑞献 |p=Chén Ruìxiàn; born 1943 in Indonesia) is an artist, calligrapher, poet and translator. He resides in Singapore.

Life

Tan was press attaché For the French Embassy in Singapore for 25 years. As an artist he is largely self-developed, experimenting in brushwork, inks and language. He has a degree in English literature from Singapore's Nanyang University, later becoming an artist. His first exhibition was in the National Library in 1973.

In that year he converted to Buddhism. He quit painting for four years finding enlightenment "more fulfilling than art" ["Time" August 4, 2003, "Artistic Enlightenment" by Hwee Hwee Tan, Singapore p60] , until encouraged to take it up again. He later exhibited at the Gauguin Museum in Tahiti in 1978. He lives in the house left to him by his parents.

Writing

Tan published his first collection of modern poetry, "The Giant", in 1968. Since then, he has 35 published works of poetry, essays and stories. In 1978, for his Initiatory Chinese translations of works by Beckett and Romanian Marin Sorescu, Tan was conferred the Chavalier de I'Ordre des Arts et Lettres by France. In 1987, he was awarded the Cultural Medallion in Singapore. In 1998, he won the Marin Sorescu International Poetry Prize in Romania.

Art

Tan has also exhibited various works in oil, Chinese ink, acrylic and sculptures, calligraphy, cartogravures and seal engravings in exhibitions around the world. In 1985, he won the Gold Medal in Salon des Artistes Francais, Paris. Recently, he won the Seoul International Calligraphy Gold Medal in an exhibition marking the Football World Cup 2002 in Seoul and Japan.

Since 1987, Tan has been the first and only Southeast Asian artist to be elected as a correspondent-member to The Academy of Fine Arts of the Institute of France.

This an excerpt from Tan's 2003 interview with Time Magazine::"All my customers are very rich," he says and claims they are mostly bankers, doctors or industrialists. "My cheapest paintings cost $28,700". Despite his Zen leanings, Tan appreciates the good life his art has provided for him. He drives a trendy Mini Cooper in a country where vehicle-registration costs and taxes drive the price for that model up to $69,000, and he dines at Au Jardin, where the famous Dégustation menu comes with a bill for more than $80. Tan acknowledges he is a big spender: "Buddhism is not against making money; it's against being hooked on money. You have to make it to share it with others." He then recounts how he once spent $8,600 on a 1945 bottle of wine to drink with friends. ["Time" August 4, 2003, "Artistic Enlightenment" by Hwee Hwee Tan, Singapore pp60-62]

Reception

Some have criticised him for being less than humble about his accomplishments. Yet there are those who hail him as a genius whose works span many mediums, including gigantic works of calligraphy. He also won the Crystal award at the World Economic Forum.

References

External links

* [http://www.tanswiehian.com Official Website]
* [http://www.universes-in-universe.de/car/venezia/bien50/sgp/e-tan.htm 50th Venice Biennial, 2003]
* [http://www.scholars.nus.edu.sg/landow/post/singapore/arts/painters/tanswiehian/1.html Humming Birds Racing (1983)]