Born in Singapore, Tan Oe Pang (b. 1947) is an established ink painter in Singapore. He learnt Chinese painting from Fan Chang Tien (1907-1987) at the age of 13, thereby tracing his painting lineage to the Shanghai School of painting. Innovative and daring in his paintings, Tan is recognized as an important artist contributing to the development of ink works in Singapore. Known locally and internationally, Tan has held solo exhibitions in Singapore and other countries, such as China, Brazil and Taiwan.Although predominately an ink painter, Tan also belongs to the generation of painters exposed to Western art styles. Bordering on Surrealism, ‘Beastly’ is from a body of artworks where Tan juxtaposes human figures with animals, presented in a style reminiscent of cave paintings. With the human figure barely distinguishable from the animal, this is perhaps an observation of humanity with all its primordial urges and desires.
