Heng Eow Lin 王耀麟

Heng Eow Lin 王耀麟

Heng Eow Lin became fulltime artist since he graduated at Nanyang Academy of Fine Art in Singapore in 1970 and never looked back. In 1974, he went to Europe to further his formal art education. Financed by commissioned oil-portraits and sales of art-works, he roamed all over Europe, travelled to the Middle East, followed by India and then back to Europe.

Though he gets commission work every now and then, he prefers the freedom to create a will, and any subject that catches his fancy. Lin says he has ‘no fixed base.’ Wherever he is, that’s his studio. He works in portraits, does sculptures for himself and for commissions and paints whatever catches his fancy without worrying about catering to “popular taste”. While likeness of physiognomy is essential in portraits, Lin goes for that special quality in a subject: the essence of a glance, a smile, smirk or even a scowl, rather than facile and obvious physical traits. he is so versatile that he can tackle any subject or medium with alacrity and finesse. Besides painting using watercolors, oils, cryonics and collage techniques, he is also adept at sculpture – from marquetry to monumental works in public spaces.

Apart from holding exhibitions in Malaysia and Singapore, Lin also held exhibitions in Japan, Switzerland, France, Britain, Mainland China, Taiwan, Macau, Thailand. His works are known to be in the beauty of life in the human form. Hence, it is common to see a lot of human figures in Lin’s works. But it is the “Mother-and-Child” series that is Lin’s most compelling, because it is something virtually second nature to him, attributes and virtues which he strongly believes in and principles that he upholds, that it is love that makes the world go round, and that a mother’s love is boundless and unconditional.

Lin’s expression of emotion, his renditions of movement and composition, his subtle distortion and his application of symbolism reflects the amazing sensitivity of the artist in him. His vivid characterization is adroitly combined with deliberate free handling. His works have been seen in major public and private galleries throughout Asia and Europe. Among some of his notable works were: a mural sculpture of hero warrior Hang Tuah for the Malacca State Museum, a large abstract sculpture “Rhythem of Life” standing in a reclaimed land promenade along the Jelutong Expressway in Penang, a commissioned mannequin sculptures representing various Sarawakian ethnic groups for the Sarawak Museum, a bust for the health club of Regent Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.