Goh Beng Kwan gets festive with hongbao-inspired art
The Straits Times|January 18, 2025
The pioneer artist has teamed up with furniture brand Commune to stage his latest showcase
Chantal Sajan
Goh Beng Kwan gets festive with hongbao-inspired art

Cultural Medallion recipient Goh Beng Kwan and home-grown furniture design company Commune have collaborated to present more than 40 of the pioneer artist's new media works.

Called Celebrations: Tradition Reimagined, the exhibition is on till Feb 12 at Commune's flagship store, which spans about 10,000 sq ft at Millenia Walk.

It offers a fresh perspective on family values, cultural traditions and the significance of auspicious symbols.

The exhibition is organised by ArtAF (also known as "Art Affairs"), a platform founded in 2020 by the 87-year-old abstract artist's daughter, Ms Hazeleen Goh, to support his work through art events, workshops and a webstore that sells homewares and decor featuring Goh's paintings.

"We hope the younger generation will start loving and appreciating art from a young age, while also learning about and supporting senior artists like my father, who have paved the way for Singapore's rich artistic heritage," says Ms Goh, 45, who has a background in banking and finance.

She manages her father's art studio full time as her way of giving back to her parents, preserving the legacy of her father and his contemporaries, and ensuring that Singapore's unique art history is passed on to future generations.

Born in 1937 in Medan, I

ndonesia, Goh is the fourth of six children. The family migrated to Singapore after World War II, when he was eight.

This story is from the January 18, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.

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This story is from the January 18, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.

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