Soo Bin – Life of Art, Art of Life

Featuring the works of Chua Soo Bin
15 Jan to 26 Mar 2023
Chapel Gallery, Objectifs

Wanted! Photographer-at-Large (RSVP here)
Sat 4 Feb, 2.30pm | Objectifs Chapel Gallery

Chua Soo Bin’s first exhibition in the post-pandemic period, following his retrospective exhibition at the National Gallery Singapore (in 2019-2020) is presented in collaboration with Objectifs, Singapore’s definitive centre for photography and film.

The exhibition is accompanied by a full-colour large-format publication of the same title; both exhibition and book commemorate the remarkable life and photographic practice of Cultural Medallion awardee Chua Soo Bin, bringing to the fore his personal and professional experiences as well as life philosophies that have been honed through the years.

Specially curated for display in the Objectifs’ gallery space (a heritage building that was a former chapel built in 1872), the exhibition offers highlights from every significant phase of Soo Bin’s practice – with photographs of the 1950s and 60s when he was actively involved with salon photography; to the advertising and professional photographic campaigns of the 1970s-1980s in his ascent as one of Singapore’s award-winning photographers; his magnum opus (1984-88), the Legends suite of photographs of 14 Chinese ink masters including Singapore’s Dr. Chen Wen Hsi; his emergence as a gallerist-dealer of foresight and vision in the 1990s, and his continuing creative work that includes photographs of Singapore artists Liu Kang, Wu Tsai Yen, Chua Ek Kay, Chng Seok Tin and Lee Wen.

This solo exhibition presents aspects of Singapore’s exemplary ‘multi-hyphenate’ – in his roles as artist-photographer, art entrepreneur, art advisor, patron and benefactor – offering glimpses into 90 years of an extraordinary life that has been bound up with and enriched by photography and art; and that shares Soo Bin’s precious philosophy of the art of joyful living.