Singapore Art Week 2024: Artist Tan Ngiap Heng delays sale of Holland Park family house for tribute exhibition

SINGAPORE — Before artist Tan Ngiap Heng's family house at Holland Park goes up for sale, he is putting up an exhibition on the premises for this month's Singapore Art Week as a tribute to his late parents and family heritage.

The 60-year-old property was owned by Tan's parents - forensic pathologist Dr Tan Kheng Khoo and his wife. It was designed by William Lim, an architectural pioneer, who also passed away last year.

Tan sought permission from his brother and sister - both of whom are based in England - to delay the sale of the house, in order to put up the "Eat Play Love" exhibition, which is scheduled to run from 17 to 31 January. The house had garnered "quite a lot of interest" since being listed for sale, but Tan had told people to "back off" til the exhibition's completion.

"I think it's interesting for people from the outside to come and see how my family lived. Our homes shape our identities and experiences, providing a canvas for the dramas of our lives," he said.

How the exhibit pays homage to his parents and family heritage

"Eat Play Love" aims to get visitors to reflect on ordinary but meaningful home-based activities, such as eating, sleeping, playing, loving, fighting and negotiating. It was curated by artist Michael Lee with the support of Tan and six other young guest artists - Catherine Hu, Cynthia Delaney Suwito, Khoo Guo Jie, Lei Yuan Bin, Mike HJ Chang and Susanna Tan.

Elaborating on the concept of eating as a social activity, Tan recalled how he would take his parents out for a nice meal, as a way to bring normalcy through the difficult ordeal of stroke and dementia.

Both his parents had suffered strokes. Tan's father passed away in May 2019, while his mother also passed in December 2022. He had been the main caregiver for both of them since 2010.

"Towards the end, they found it hard to eat, but it was actually a special thing for them to just go out and eat," said Tan.

One especially-poignant work from the exhibition is "Family Leaves", where black and white portraits of his parents and family lineage are printed on rubber leaves. It also serves as a tribute to his grandfather, who had made money from rubber.

Some other ways the exhibition pays homage to Tan's home and heritage include a dance film which was shot in the house, a scaled-down house model installation made from bamboo and raffia string, and artificial plant photo sculptures made from photographs of domestic objects in the house such as a standing fan, toys and dresses.

In addition, Tan's wife will be crafting a Peranakan dining experience of recipes that came from Tan's mother and grandmother.

Being able to use the family home as a creative space, allowed Tan to cement his place as the first in his family to pursue an artistic career. His great-great-grandfather, Tan Hiok Nee, built the only Teochew house left standing in Singapore, which is currently occupied by private university Amity Global Institute within the Orchard Road precinct. His father had dreams to be concert pianist, but became a doctor. His brother studied literature, but pursued a career trading Middle Eastern art and antiques.

In the future, Tan is considering writing a book on his family heritage.

Letting go of the house and the importance of meditation

One of the concepts taught by Tan's father, who was a meditator and spiritual teacher, was the idea of "letting go". Otherwise known as "pang tio" in Teochew dialect, Tan was taught to let go of material things and one's ego, for a calmer and happier life.

In commemorating the teachings of Tan's father's, Lee came up with the idea to mask the word "pang tio" on a patch of grass just outside the house, as one of the exhibition's installations. In time, the grass will die off, of which a new batch will grow over the artwork. It also represents Tan's personal act of letting go of his family home.

"I think it nicely encapsulates my father's teaching of impermanence, and to be aware of this impermanence, to live in the now," he said.

To date, Tan still practices Vipassana meditation, an awareness meditation, taught by this father. "It helps with self consciousness and calming down. In a world where we are wired 24/7, it's good to take a break. Meditation specifically breaks a person away from all this digital noise."

Eat Play Love runs from 19 to 31 January at C1 Holland Park. Admission is free.

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