Eng Siak Loy 翁锡礼
Terengganu, oil on canvas, 65x150cm, 2020
Fujian, oil on canvas, 80x100cm, 2016
Eng Siak Loy has also won several awards in various local and international art competitions. Deeply passionate about nature, it is no wonder that his design of the 2002 HSBC Care-for-Nature Heritage Trees stamp series was awarded ‘Asia’s Most Beautiful Stamps’ and the ‘2nd Most Beautiful Stamp in the World’ in 2003 by Paris-based Timbropresse Group, a leader of the French-speaking philatelic press with Timbres Magazine.
In 2007, he was named Designer of the Year by the President’s Design Award. He is a well-known figure in Singapore’s art scene, having held a number of solo and group shows. His sense of precision, attention to detail has enabled him to craft many artworks ranging from small-scale designs such as stamps and coins, to large-scale murals and sculptures that are found in public spaces and parks. Eng has also received many awards for his paintings, locally and internationally.
Eng Siak Loy was born in China and moved to Singapore with his family when he was eight. His artistic journey began at the now-defunct Singapore Art Academy in 1960. After graduation, he moved on as a graphic designer for the former Radio and Television Singapore before transferring to the Ministry of Education as a senior graphic artist. He worked at the Housing and Development Board in 1972, then moved on to the National Parks Board’s graphic and art department until his retirement in 2009.
Outside of his day job, Eng also designed collaterals used to inform the public about the government’s policies and practices as well as stamps, coins, and currency notes. His stamp designs for the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East’s (ECAFE) 25th Plenary Session became the first of more than 50 issues he has developed. In 1999, he also designed the whole Portrait Series of Singapore currency notes, which are still in circulation today and feature Singapore’s first Head of State, Yusof Ishak.