Shui Tit Sing<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Self](\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/prestigearts.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20240730001947-e1757414981690.jpg\" "\\"\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20240730001947\\"")
<\/span><\/div>Self Portrait,<\/em> 1939, Watercolour on paper, 32 x 23.5 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Artist](\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/prestigearts.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/shui-2-lighter-e1736672496955.webp\" "\\"shui")
<\/span><\/div><\/div>Shui Tit Sing<\/p>\n
Details:<\/p>\n
Shui Tit Sing (1914\u20131997) was a Chinese-born Singaporean artist and educator whose artistic practice evolved from ink and oil painting to a distinguished body of work in teakwood sculpture. A key figure in post-war Singapore art, he studied under Lin Fengmian and taught for decades while actively contributing to the local art scene.<\/p>\n
Education:<\/p>\n
1937 Hangzhou National College of Art (Painting Department), Hangzhou, China<\/p>\n
1940 National College of Art (Western Painting Department), Hangzhou, China<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Shui Tit Sing (1914\u20131997) was a Chinese-born Singaporean artist and educator whose artistic practice evolved from ink and oil painting to a distinguished body of work in teakwood sculpture. Celebrated for his sensitive depictions of ordinary life, Shui\u2019s oeuvre blends traditional Eastern aesthetics with a grounded humanism that reflected his lifelong commitment to bridging art and lived experience.<\/p>\n
Shui was born in China in 1914 and received his secondary education at Pui Ying Secondary School in Guangzhou, where he was introduced to the visual arts under the mentorship of renowned photographer Hou Tieh Hua. In 1934, he enrolled in the Hangzhou National College of Art\u2014then under the directorship of Lin Fengmian\u2014where he studied painting. His teachers included several of China\u2019s modern art pioneers, among them Lin Fengmian, Pan Tianshou, Wu Dayu, Cai Weilian, Chang Shuhong, and Guan Liang. Lin once praised Shui as a student with \u201can iron will.\u201d During his years in Hangzhou, Shui formed enduring friendships with fellow students including Zao Wou-Ki, Zhuang Huayue, Gao Guanhua, and Tay Tian Song, with whom he lived, created, and exchanged ideas. He graduated from the Department of Painting in 1937 and furthered his studies in Western painting, completing his training in 1940.<\/p>\n
In late 1940, Shui emigrated to Malaya upon the invitation of his former classmates Tay Tian Song and Zheng Guanghan. From 1941 to 1945, he taught at Chung Hua High School, Kuala Pilah, Malaya, contributing quietly to art education during the turbulent years of World War II. In 1947, Shui moved to Singapore and began a long teaching career, most notably at Catholic High School from 1948 to 1977, as well as at Ai Tong School and other local institutions. In 1957, he became a Singaporean citizen.<\/p>\n
Alongside teaching, Shui maintained an active studio practice and exhibited widely in national exhibitions. He was a long-standing member of the Society of Chinese Artists and participated in group exhibitions across Singapore. During the 1960s and 1970s, he joined the Ten Men Art Group on study tours across Southeast Asia, where he painted, photographed, and later sculpted from observation, deepening his commitment to portraying the daily lives of local communities.<\/p>\n
A pivotal shift in Shui\u2019s career occurred in 1968 when he turned exclusively to sculpture. Working primarily in teak, his carvings portrayed fishermen, farmers, labourers, and women at work\u2014subjects rendered with humility, clarity, and a deep reverence for human dignity. He once stated that his sculptures must be \u201coriental in spirit and grounded in reality.\u201d Fellow artist and sculptor Cheong Soo Pieng suggested that Shui embrace a darker patina in his wood surfaces to evoke a sense of age and depth\u2014a technique Shui adopted and made his own, developing a distinctive, timeworn visual language.<\/p>\n
That same year, under the recommendation of Cheng Tien-Sung, then president of the Society of Chinese Artists, Shui was appointed to the society\u2019s executive committee, working alongside artists such as Chen Wen Hsi, Chen Jen Hao, Lim Yew Kuan, and Lim Tze Peng. His contributions were instrumental to the society\u2019s development during a critical period in its history.<\/p>\n
Though widely respected as an educator and sculptor in Singapore, Shui remained deeply influenced by his early artistic foundations. He carried with him the ethos of his teacher Lin Fengmian\u2014\u201cto fight for art\u201d\u2014throughout his life. In his later years, Shui travelled extensively, taking thousands of photographs and translating his impressions of international life into wood sculptures. His work, while rooted in Chinese modernism, increasingly reflected a global awareness.<\/p>\n
Shui Tit Sing passed away in Singapore in 1997. His legacy lives on through his many students, his contributions to Singapore\u2019s early art institutions, and a body of work that stands as a quiet yet enduring testimony to a life devoted to art and education.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Clifford Pier in Singapore<\/em><\/h4>\n1948
\nOil on canvas
\n56 x 87 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"Clifford](\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/prestigearts.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Clifford_Pier_in_Singapore_1948_dow6ef-scaled.jpeg\" "\\"Clifford_Pier_in_Singapore_1948_dow6ef\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Kolek Boat Race<\/em><\/h4>\nCirca 1950s
\nOil on canvas
\n56 x 87 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"Kolek](\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/prestigearts.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_0044_mcvpuu-scaled.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_0044_mcvpuu\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Water Buffalo by the River<\/em><\/h4>\nCirca 1930s
\nWatercolor on paper
\n24 x 31.5 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"Water](\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/prestigearts.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/STS-082_qrxgkm-scaled.jpeg\" "\\"STS-082_qrxgkm\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Landscape with Coconut Trees<\/em><\/h4>\n1941
\nOil on canvas
\n45.3 x 54 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"Landscape](\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/prestigearts.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Landscape_with_Coconut_Trees_1941_tneti1-scaled.jpeg\" "\\"Landscape_with_Coconut_Trees_1941_tneti1\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Solar Eclipse<\/em><\/h4>\n1955
\nWatercolour on paper
\n38.5 x 56.5 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"Solar](\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/prestigearts.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Solar-Eclipse\u65e5\u5168\u98df1955-Watercolour-on-paper-38.5\u00d756.5-cm-e1755684513427.jpg\" "\\"Solar")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Elephant Carriages <\/em><\/h4>\n1955
\nWoodcut print
\n15.3 x 20.7 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"Elephant](\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/prestigearts.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Elephant-Carriages-\u8fd0\u8f93\uff08\u8c61\uff09-1955-Woodcut-print-15.3-X-20.7-cm.jpg\" "\\"Elephant")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Floating Houses <\/em><\/h4>\n1973
\nWood
\n79 x 33 x 15.5 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"Floating](\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/prestigearts.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/2_vbw2di-scaled.jpeg\" "\\"2_vbw2di\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span>Selected Solo Exhibitions<\/h4><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>2025<\/h4>\n
(Re)discovering Shui Tit Sing<\/em>, Prestige Gallery, Singapore<\/p>\n
\n2014<\/h4>\n
Shui Tit Sing – 100 Years of an Artist through his Archives<\/em>, an exhibition by the\u201cSingapore Art Archive Project (SAAP) @ CCA\u201d, NTU CCA Singapore, Gillman Barracks, Singapore<\/p>\n
\nLife of A Sculptor: The Story of Shui Tit Sing<\/em>, That Spare Room, Singapore<\/p>\n
\n1982<\/h4>\n
Art In Action: The Nature\u2019s Way of Life<\/em> (Woodcarvings by Shui Tit Sing), National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore<\/p>\n
\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span>Group Exhibitions<\/h4><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>2024<\/h4>\n
Figuring a Scene<\/em>, National Gallery Singapore, Singapore<\/p>\n
\n2023<\/h4>\n
Being Made<\/em>, Art Agenda, Singapore<\/p>\n
\n2022<\/h4>\n
Nothing is Forever: Rethinking Sculpture in Singapore<\/em> \u2013 The First Exploration of Singaporean Sculpture in Three Decades, National Gallery Singapore<\/p>\n
\n2019<\/h4>\n
Another Diorama<\/em>, Hu Yun in collaboration with Shui Tit Sing; NUS Museum, Singapore<\/p>\n
\n200: Sculpture Society (Singapore) Annual Show 2019<\/em>, Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, Singapore<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>
<\/span><\/div>Self Portrait,<\/em> 1939, Watercolour on paper, 32 x 23.5 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> Shui Tit Sing<\/p>\n Details:<\/p>\n Shui Tit Sing (1914\u20131997) was a Chinese-born Singaporean artist and educator whose artistic practice evolved from ink and oil painting to a distinguished body of work in teakwood sculpture. A key figure in post-war Singapore art, he studied under Lin Fengmian and taught for decades while actively contributing to the local art scene.<\/p>\n Education:<\/p>\n 1937 Hangzhou National College of Art (Painting Department), Hangzhou, China<\/p>\n 1940 National College of Art (Western Painting Department), Hangzhou, China<\/p>\n<\/div> Shui Tit Sing (1914\u20131997) was a Chinese-born Singaporean artist and educator whose artistic practice evolved from ink and oil painting to a distinguished body of work in teakwood sculpture. Celebrated for his sensitive depictions of ordinary life, Shui\u2019s oeuvre blends traditional Eastern aesthetics with a grounded humanism that reflected his lifelong commitment to bridging art and lived experience.<\/p>\n Shui was born in China in 1914 and received his secondary education at Pui Ying Secondary School in Guangzhou, where he was introduced to the visual arts under the mentorship of renowned photographer Hou Tieh Hua. In 1934, he enrolled in the Hangzhou National College of Art\u2014then under the directorship of Lin Fengmian\u2014where he studied painting. His teachers included several of China\u2019s modern art pioneers, among them Lin Fengmian, Pan Tianshou, Wu Dayu, Cai Weilian, Chang Shuhong, and Guan Liang. Lin once praised Shui as a student with \u201can iron will.\u201d During his years in Hangzhou, Shui formed enduring friendships with fellow students including Zao Wou-Ki, Zhuang Huayue, Gao Guanhua, and Tay Tian Song, with whom he lived, created, and exchanged ideas. He graduated from the Department of Painting in 1937 and furthered his studies in Western painting, completing his training in 1940.<\/p>\n In late 1940, Shui emigrated to Malaya upon the invitation of his former classmates Tay Tian Song and Zheng Guanghan. From 1941 to 1945, he taught at Chung Hua High School, Kuala Pilah, Malaya, contributing quietly to art education during the turbulent years of World War II. In 1947, Shui moved to Singapore and began a long teaching career, most notably at Catholic High School from 1948 to 1977, as well as at Ai Tong School and other local institutions. In 1957, he became a Singaporean citizen.<\/p>\n Alongside teaching, Shui maintained an active studio practice and exhibited widely in national exhibitions. He was a long-standing member of the Society of Chinese Artists and participated in group exhibitions across Singapore. During the 1960s and 1970s, he joined the Ten Men Art Group on study tours across Southeast Asia, where he painted, photographed, and later sculpted from observation, deepening his commitment to portraying the daily lives of local communities.<\/p>\n A pivotal shift in Shui\u2019s career occurred in 1968 when he turned exclusively to sculpture. Working primarily in teak, his carvings portrayed fishermen, farmers, labourers, and women at work\u2014subjects rendered with humility, clarity, and a deep reverence for human dignity. He once stated that his sculptures must be \u201coriental in spirit and grounded in reality.\u201d Fellow artist and sculptor Cheong Soo Pieng suggested that Shui embrace a darker patina in his wood surfaces to evoke a sense of age and depth\u2014a technique Shui adopted and made his own, developing a distinctive, timeworn visual language.<\/p>\n That same year, under the recommendation of Cheng Tien-Sung, then president of the Society of Chinese Artists, Shui was appointed to the society\u2019s executive committee, working alongside artists such as Chen Wen Hsi, Chen Jen Hao, Lim Yew Kuan, and Lim Tze Peng. His contributions were instrumental to the society\u2019s development during a critical period in its history.<\/p>\n Though widely respected as an educator and sculptor in Singapore, Shui remained deeply influenced by his early artistic foundations. He carried with him the ethos of his teacher Lin Fengmian\u2014\u201cto fight for art\u201d\u2014throughout his life. In his later years, Shui travelled extensively, taking thousands of photographs and translating his impressions of international life into wood sculptures. His work, while rooted in Chinese modernism, increasingly reflected a global awareness.<\/p>\n Shui Tit Sing passed away in Singapore in 1997. His legacy lives on through his many students, his contributions to Singapore\u2019s early art institutions, and a body of work that stands as a quiet yet enduring testimony to a life devoted to art and education.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> 1948 Circa 1950s Circa 1930s 1941 1955 1955 1973 (Re)discovering Shui Tit Sing<\/em>, Prestige Gallery, Singapore<\/p>\n Shui Tit Sing – 100 Years of an Artist through his Archives<\/em>, an exhibition by the\u201cSingapore Art Archive Project (SAAP) @ CCA\u201d, NTU CCA Singapore, Gillman Barracks, Singapore<\/p>\n Life of A Sculptor: The Story of Shui Tit Sing<\/em>, That Spare Room, Singapore<\/p>\n Art In Action: The Nature\u2019s Way of Life<\/em> (Woodcarvings by Shui Tit Sing), National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore<\/p>\n Figuring a Scene<\/em>, National Gallery Singapore, Singapore<\/p>\n Being Made<\/em>, Art Agenda, Singapore<\/p>\n Nothing is Forever: Rethinking Sculpture in Singapore<\/em> \u2013 The First Exploration of Singaporean Sculpture in Three Decades, National Gallery Singapore<\/p>\n Another Diorama<\/em>, Hu Yun in collaboration with Shui Tit Sing; NUS Museum, Singapore<\/p>\n 200: Sculpture Society (Singapore) Annual Show 2019<\/em>, Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, Singapore<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div><\/div>Clifford Pier in Singapore<\/em><\/h4>\n
\nOil on canvas
\n56 x 87 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Kolek Boat Race<\/em><\/h4>\n
\nOil on canvas
\n56 x 87 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Water Buffalo by the River<\/em><\/h4>\n
\nWatercolor on paper
\n24 x 31.5 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Landscape with Coconut Trees<\/em><\/h4>\n
\nOil on canvas
\n45.3 x 54 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Solar Eclipse<\/em><\/h4>\n
\nWatercolour on paper
\n38.5 x 56.5 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Elephant Carriages <\/em><\/h4>\n
\nWoodcut print
\n15.3 x 20.7 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Floating Houses <\/em><\/h4>\n
\nWood
\n79 x 33 x 15.5 cm<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Selected Solo Exhibitions<\/h4><\/span>
2025<\/h4>\n
\n2014<\/h4>\n
\n
\n1982<\/h4>\n
\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>Group Exhibitions<\/h4><\/span>
2024<\/h4>\n
\n2023<\/h4>\n
\n2022<\/h4>\n
\n2019<\/h4>\n
\n
\n<\/div>