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Resources > Collections > Artist Tan Ping Chiang 陈彬章

Tan Ping Chiang (1940 -)

Tan Ping Chiang, known by his pen name 陈大彬 (Chen Da Bin), is an artist and educator who contributed significantly to art education in Singapore. Tan trained at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and was a Modern Art Society Singapore member in the 1960s. In 1981, Tan joined NAFA as an educator and served as the Head of NAFA’s Applied Arts Department before taking an additional role as Head of the Fine Arts Department in 1987.

When Singapore restructured its economy in the 1980s, graphic design students graduated with great uncertainty about the job market. During this time, Tan’s presented a poignant message to students –emphasizing the necessity to consider unconventional careers beyond advertising agencies and a change in attitude towards design as a discipline. He is also a founding member and President of the Contemporary Printmaking Association of Singapore (Printmaking Society). While Tan relinquished his position in the collective by 1992, he remained deeply invested in his discipline, expressing a distinct inclination towards food packaging design. Tan pursued this interest at the University of Western Sydney, Australia and received an MA (Honours) in Food Packaging Design in 1998.

Besides graphic design, Tan is also well-versed in painting, sculpture, and writing. Throughout his art and design career, Tan has received several awards in recognition of his expertise and participated in group exhibitions both locally and abroad. Today, Tan has retired from the corporate world but continues experimenting with new forms and styles that breathe new life into art in Singapore.