작품 상세

A couple emerging from a pool of water dominates the scene in solitary bliss. The lady, wearing a cape with open palms signals an inviting greeting and receptive expression. Using a warm sumptuous palette of orange, green and blue, his works illustrate a romantic and peaceful surrounding environment. His choice of palette is greatly influenced by the colours found present in nature. This piece is characteristic of Khoo Sui Hoe's poetic vision, infusing symbolic elements to evoke nostalgic memories of childhood and the countryside. His distinct aesthetic often employs sculptural figures rendered in forms with artistic sensitivity to detail. Khoo Sui Hoe is the spiritual leader of the Utara Group, formed in 1977. He was a fulltime artist since graduating from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore, in 1961. He was awarded the John D Rockefeller III Fund to study at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York in 1974. He was accorded a Retrospective, The Painted World of Khoo Sui Hoe, by the Penang State Art Gallery in 2007, and later another by Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai, Kuala Lumpur. There were mini retros of sorts, given by the Penang Museum Board, in 1978 (works from 1963-1973) and The Art Gallery Penang in 2013 (works from 1967-2013). In 2015, Khoo held a two-part An Overview exhibition, in Singapore. He won Honorable Mention in the prestigious Salon Malaysia in 1969 and also 1st Prize (Oil) in the Malaysian Art & Craft competition in 1965. He was in charge of the Alpha Gallery Singapore in 1972, which he revived in Penang in 2004 as the Alpha Utara Gallery. He was included in the Contemporary Paintings of Malaysia exhibition at the Pacific Museum in Pasadena, California, in 1988.