Liu Kang
BORN: 1911
HOMETOWN: FUJIAN PROVINCE, CHINA
LIVED AND WORKED: SINGAPORE
Liu Kang (b. 1911-2004) was a Singaporean artist famous for his Balinese-themed figurative paintings. He was a founding member of the Singapore Art Society and was credited with developing the Nanyang Style.
He was born in the Fujian Province and spent his early years in Malaysia. He then studied art in Shanghai and Paris, and taught art in Shanghai during the 1930s. Under the influence of the Chinese artist and art teacher, Liu Haisu (1896–1994), Liu admired and often appropriated the styles of French-based modernist painters such as Cézanne, van Gogh and Matisse. Liu Kang came to Singapore in 1942 and had been credited with numerous contributions to the local arts scene. In 1952, Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi and Cheong Soo Pieng went on their historic field trip to Bali in search of a visual expression that was Southeast Asian. Liu drew much inspiration from this trip which inspired some of his later works. In 1970, Liu was awarded the Public Service Star by the Singapore Government. He was honoured by the same agency in 1996 with the Meritorious Service Medal. His works, spanning from 1935 to 1997, are a testament of his contributions to Singapore art.
In May 2003, the then 92-year-old artist gave the majority of his paintings and sketches, amounting to 1,000 over pieces, to the Singapore Art Museum. He also unveiled a painting of three Balinese women, each carrying a basket of offerings, which was symbolic of his personal offering to the museum and to the country. The painting was aptly titled Offerings.