작품 상세

Throughout Khoo Sui Hoe's oeuvre, the theme of water and rivers have been a constant source of inspiration. In Standing Bathers, three mysterious primitive figures emerge from a landscape painted in luxuriant greens, surrounded by reflective surfaces of water. The painting evokes a dreamlike ambience, and the figures appear sculptural through his masterful handling of light and shadow which gives them a strong presence. The soft greens in the landscape suggests a quiet return to nature, while the water reflections and ripples convey a sense of movement and tranquillity. Khoo received his education at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore. In 1974, he was awarded the John D. Rockefeller III Fund grant to study at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York. Khoo was honoured with a Retrospective and two mini-Retrospectives. The Penang State Art Gallery honoured him with a Retrospective, The Painted World Of Khoo Sui Hoe, in 2007. His minis are at The Art Gallery Penang, in 2013, of works from 1967 to 2013; and at Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai, in August 2017, apart from two other major exhibitions at HELP Institute in 1992 and Bellevue Hotel in Penang Hill in 2000. The Penang Museum Board had in 1978 already given Khoo a solo, of his works from 1963 to 1973. He was also given a two-part An Overview exhibition, the second at the Private Museum, Singapore. Recent Paintings at the prestigious Shanghai Art Museum add to his stature. Khoo won Honourable Mention in the prestigious Salon Malaysia in 1969 and also 1st Prize (oil) in the Malaysian Art & Craft competition in 1965. Khoo is the spiritual leader of the Utara Group, formed in 1977. He was also a gallerist, handling the Alpha Gallery Singapore in 1972, which was revived in Penang in 2004 as the Alpha Utara Gallery. His 59th solo exhibition Recent Works by Khoo Sui Hoe was held in 2024.