Frame size: 41.2 x 27.9 x 2.0 cm
Ho Kah Leong (b. 21 September 1937, Singapore–) has been active in Singapore’s art scene for the past six decades and is the honorary advisor of the Singapore Art Society. He trained at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in the mid-1950s, and later obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the Nanyang University in 1963. Upon graduating, Ho taught at Nan Chiau High School and Chung Hwa Girls’ High School before entering politics in 1966. He served as a Member of Parliament for 30 years and, after retiring from politics, became the principal of NAFA from 1997 to 2003. From the 1950s to the 1980s, Ho actively produced woodcut prints. He often submitted them to several local newspapers and magazines for a token sum. Notably, Ho co-edited the 1955 Xinma Muman Xuanji (Selection of Woodcuts and Cartoons by Singapore and Malayan Artists) with cartoonist Ong Shih Cheng, a significant publication showcasing woodcuts and cartoons of the 1950s. Ho’s print titled ‘On the way to evening class’ is an example of his woodcut practice, in terms of style and subject matter during the 1950s. It depicts two Chinese women engaged in a discussion over a book while on their way to attend an evening class. The work was produced during a period when literacy rates for women were low and access to education was limited. It was not until the end of the 1950s that the growing women’s movement that lobbied for legislation to improve women’s access to education gained traction.
