SELECTED WORKS: 1996 – 2019 BY KHOO SUI HOE

6 - 20 AUGUST 2022

Khoo Sui Hoe has the touch of  Modern primitivism; ethnic; ethereal; dream-like; escapism; expressionist, universal through the provincial; haunting; idyllic; mysterious; enchanting; wistful; surrealistic; vaguely Gauguinesque; a poet in paint; having a universal quality rare in twentieth-century art -these are words various writers have used to describe Sui Hoe or his works. They may give us an idea of Sui Hoe’s art but do feast your eyes on his works, spanning over two decades presented to you by G13 Gallery.

Sui Hoe has the uncanny ability to extract the essence of things, be they tree, river, rock, mountain, cloud or the human form. This is epitomised in his painted self-portraits. Anyone who knows Sui Hoe will immediately be struck by the resemblance, not only of his physical appearance but also of the essence of his being and his humour. Sui Hoe is also a master colourist, using the entire spectrum of colour with variations of tints, shades and tones, creating an unlimited variety of moods and expressions.

Sui Hoe often draws inspiration from his childhood experiences. The times he dipped in the river with cool flowing water under a blue sky with white clouds, surrounded by floating plants, reeds and rushes, plants in blossom, birds and the distant hills. Perhaps, we can appreciate Sui Hoe’s art with a similar mindset, like that of a boy in a fantasy world of his own, where elements of his surroundings would be accentuated and be the focus of his attention. Sui Hoe’s art invites us into his fantasy world, a realm in which many of us would feel comfortable in or even long for. Sui Hoe also often deploys one of his favorite devices in his paintings – curtains. He uses curtains to suggest the existence of windows, subtly drawing the viewers into his painted world.

In a glowing article, Ten Years – An appreciation of Sui Hoe’s works in 1974, Austin Coates, a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, London, commented that “The domain of Khoo Sui Hoe’s art lies amid some of mankind’s innermost urges or desires – the urge to rise up into the sky, and go on rising forever, the urge not to just fly with the wind, but actually become the wind, the urge of man and woman to float on air as one being, the urge to enfold another person entirely within oneself, the urge to be a mind unencumbered by a body. These urges being universal, and the artist having evolved a discipline and a convention of his own, enabling him to give them valid expression, his pictures have a universal quality, rare in 20th century art. They speak a universal language.”

In his recent works, the colours are more vibrant and the forms are more childlike. Picasso famously said, “It took me four years to paint like Rafael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” I think that is also true of Sui Hoe. Notwithstanding the changes in form and palette, we see him retaining the motifs we are familiar with. Each painting is closely linked to each other in such a way that, although they exist as unique entities in their own right, they also form part of a cohesive group, rather similar to separate movements in a symphony.

Selected Works: 1996 – 2019 by Khoo Sui Hoe will certainly be an enriching experience.

The exhibition will run from 6 – 20th August 2022.

Flying over Colourful Sky

Flying over Colourful Sky

Khoo Sui Hoe
175x244cm
Oil on Canvas
2014

Flying over Colourful Sky

Khoo Sui Hoe
175x244cm
Oil on Canvas
2014

Fleeting Glance

Fleeting Glance

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x114cm
Oil on Canvas
2013

Fleeting Glance

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x114cm
Oil on Canvas
2013

Lake Sayang

Lake Sayang

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x120cm
Oil on Canvas
2003

Lake Sayang

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x120cm
Oil on Canvas
2003

Lake Cinta

Lake Cinta

Khoo Sui Hoe
100x120cm
Oil on Canvas
2002

Lake Cinta

Khoo Sui Hoe
100x120cm
Oil on Canvas
2002

Lake Selatan

Lake Selatan

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2002

Lake Selatan

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2002

Lake Toya

Lake Toya

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2003

Lake Toya

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2003

Playground II

Playground II

Khoo Sui Hoe
98.5x98.5cm
Oil on Canvas
2004

Playground II

Khoo Sui Hoe
98.5x98.5cm
Oil on Canvas
2004

Roof at Dawn

Roof at Dawn

Khoo Sui Hoe
88x88cm
Oil on Canvas
2004

Roof at Dawn

Khoo Sui Hoe
88x88cm
Oil on Canvas
2004

Clouds over the Hill

Clouds over the Hill

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x90cm
Oil on Canvas
2014

Clouds over the Hill

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x90cm
Oil on Canvas
2014

Lake Bawa

Lake Bawa

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2002

Lake Bawa

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2002

Fly Over

Fly Over

Khoo Sui Hoe
120x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2014

Fly Over

Khoo Sui Hoe
120x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2014

Skyrise II

Skyrise II

Khoo Sui Hoe
120x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2016

Skyrise II

Khoo Sui Hoe
120x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2016

Nightfall II

Nightfall II

Khoo Sui Hoe
122x102cm
Oil on Canvas
2018

Nightfall II

Khoo Sui Hoe
122x102cm
Oil on Canvas
2018

Rise to the Rainbow

Rise to the Rainbow

Khoo Sui Hoe
120x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2016

Rise to the Rainbow

Khoo Sui Hoe
120x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2016

Rise through the Clouds

Rise through the Clouds

Khoo Sui Hoe
119x99.5cm
Oil on Canvas
2017

Rise through the Clouds

Khoo Sui Hoe
119x99.5cm
Oil on Canvas
2017

Hiding Game

Hiding Game

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x100cm
Oil on Canvas
1996

Hiding Game

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x100cm
Oil on Canvas
1996

Dancing in the Cloud

Dancing in the Cloud

Khoo Sui Hoe
100x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2015

Dancing in the Cloud

Khoo Sui Hoe
100x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2015

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2015

Morning Glory

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2015

Destination Red Sky

Destination Red Sky

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x90cm
Oil on Canvas
2016

Destination Red Sky

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x90cm
Oil on Canvas
2016

Man and His Lover

Man and His Lover

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x90cm
Oil on Canvas
2017

Man and His Lover

Khoo Sui Hoe
90x90cm
Oil on Canvas
2017

Dance by the Crescent Moon

Dance by the Crescent Moon

Khoo Sui Hoe
100x75cm
Oil on Canvas
2017

Dance by the Crescent Moon

Khoo Sui Hoe
100x75cm
Oil on Canvas
2017

Rhythm

Rhythm

Khoo Sui Hoe
76x101cm
Oil on Canvas
2008

Rhythm

Khoo Sui Hoe
76x101cm
Oil on Canvas
2008

Coo-coo Sunrise

Coo-coo Sunrise

Khoo Sui Hoe
76x96.5cm
Oil on Canvas
2013

Coo-coo Sunrise

Khoo Sui Hoe
76x96.5cm
Oil on Canvas
2013

Home Journey

Home Journey

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2016

Home Journey

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2016

Wading Across River

Wading Across River

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x110cm
Oil on Canvas
2019

Wading Across River

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x110cm
Oil on Canvas
2019

Journey Home

Journey Home

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2019

Journey Home

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2019

Bathers in Sarongs

Bathers in Sarongs

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x88cm
Oil on Canvas
2011

Bathers in Sarongs

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x88cm
Oil on Canvas
2011

Two Standing by Sunset

Two Standing by Sunset

Khoo Sui Hoe
74x108cm
Oil on Canvas
2008

Two Standing by Sunset

Khoo Sui Hoe
74x108cm
Oil on Canvas
2008

Swimmer

Swimmer

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x80cm
Oil on Canvas
2019

Swimmer

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x80cm
Oil on Canvas
2019

Siesta by the Beach

Siesta by the Beach

Khoo Sui Hoe
60x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2019

Siesta by the Beach

Khoo Sui Hoe
60x100cm
Oil on Canvas
2019

A Diver

A Diver

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x80cm
Oil on Canvas
2019

A Diver

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x80cm
Oil on Canvas
2019

Man and His Women

Man and His Women

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x80cm
Oil on Canvas
2019

Man and His Women

Khoo Sui Hoe
80x80cm
Oil on Canvas
2019

Wind Dance

Wind Dance

Khoo Sui Hoe
71x71cm
Oil on Canvas
2006

Wind Dance

Khoo Sui Hoe
71x71cm
Oil on Canvas
2006

Mute Conversations

Mute Conversations

Khoo Sui Hoe
60x70cm
Oil on Canvas
2010

Mute Conversations

Khoo Sui Hoe
60x70cm
Oil on Canvas
2010

Swimmer's Call

Swimmer's Call

Khoo Sui Hoe
60x78cm
Oil on Canvas
2016

Swimmer's Call

Khoo Sui Hoe
60x78cm
Oil on Canvas
2016

Click to view Artist Profile

Back To Top