Tan Joo Jong | 陈有勇


1951 - 1984









Tan Joo Jong (1951–1984) was a Singaporean artist whose short yet impactful career left a lasting mark on the local art scene. A graduate of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Tan trained in both Western and traditional Chinese painting techniques, but ultimately found his voice in Chinese ink — a medium he explored with both discipline and daring imagination. Drawing inspiration from nature, dreams, and the inner world, Tan’s works often featured birds, fish, flora, and surreal hybrid creatures that were part-human, part-animal. Through these whimsical yet deeply contemplative figures, he expressed personal reflections on identity, solitude, and freedom. His style is marked by gentle brushwork, soft washes, and a lyrical sensibility that reveals both technical mastery and emotional depth. Despite his untimely passing at the age of 33, Tan’s artistic vision remains influential. He believed in the purity of creative expression — that art should not be constrained by politics or conventions, but instead serve as a vehicle for individual thought and emotional truth. His diary entries and artworks speak to a quiet rebellion, one rooted in introspection and a pursuit of authenticity. Today, Tan Joo Jong is remembered as a poetic soul whose art continues to resonate across time — an enduring legacy of ink, spirit, and imagination.









Timeline





1951 - 1984       B.A Honours, Nanyang University, Singapore

1975                 1st Solo Exhibition in Singapore
                        2nd Solo Exhibition in Singapore

1976                 Editor, “ Singapore Fine Art ”

1975 - 1977       Art editor, Sin Chew Jit Poh

1979 - 1983       Participated in the 1st & 2nd International Calligraphy Exhibition

1980 - 1981       Two - man art exhibition in Australia: Joint exhibition with 2 other artists in Finland

1981                  Participated in the exhibition of the “International Contemporary Ink Painting Association” in Taipei

1982                 Joint exhibition at the University of Adelaide, Australia

2017                 Tan Joo Jong’s Ink Painting Exhibition, Hai Hui Gallery 

2024                Unfettered Brush: The Art and Writings of Tan Joo Jong 

2025                Publishing of “Boundless Spirit: The Art and Writings of Tan Joo Jong”
                       "Ink Dreams and Whimsy : a retrospective of Tan Joo Jong” , Hai Hui Gallery







Selected Work





Chinatown ( 牛车水 )
Water Colour Painting
60 cm x 90 cm





Gaze of the Sky
( 苍穹之瞳 )
Ink Painting
34 cm x 140 cm


Two Lives in Ink
( 水墨双栖 )
Ink Painting
34 cm x 99 cm




Bali( 巴厘岛 )
Ink Painting
46 cm x 68.5 cm






Duck at Rest ( 轻舟一羽 )
Ink Painting
54 cm x 60 cm



Proudly Standing on Branch
( 傲立枝头 )
Ink Painting
34 cm x 99 cm




Still Branch 
( 静枝 )
Ink Painting
34 cm x 99 cm




Abundance 
( 静谧的丰盛 )
Ink Painting
35.5 cm x 99.5 cm






Fish Swimming Freely
( 游鱼自在 )
Ink Painting
45.5 cm x 68.5 cm




Bird Quietly Resting
( 静栖鸟 )
Ink Painting
46.5 cm x 49 cm



Autumn and Bird 
( 秋枝与鸟 )
Ink Painting
43 cm x 72 cm



Singapore River ( 新加坡河 )
Water Colour Painting
60 cm x 80 cm




Untitled ( Abstract Street )
Watercolor















Exhibition













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Singapore 179083