LOT 17
TAY BAK KOI
B. Singapore, 1939 – 2005
Crossing the River
Signed “Bak Koi” on lower left
Watercolour on board
21 x 12 cm Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 2,500 – RM 6,000
The lines between fantasy and reality are often blurred when it comes to works done by Tay Bak Koi. He incorporates that idyllic and dream-like quality into his paintings and made it his signature. In fact, he is known for merging fantasy with realism. For instance, his realistic sceneries and landscapes are often injected with fairytale-like interjections. This emphasises the hybridisation of reality and perception, as seen in this piece.
Tay Bak Koi was an artist renowned for his portrayals of fishing villages, kampung scenes and urban landscapes. He specialised in oil and watercolour and his works have been exhibited extensively in Singapore and various other countries, including Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Germany and the United States. Tay’s talent for drawing was discovered by his father’s friend, who subsequently enrolled him in the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1957. His teacher, the late Cheong Soo Pieng, taught him to appreciate existing works of art in new ways and to challenge conventional art forms.