Han Sai Por facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Han Sai Por
韩少芙
The smaller of two pieces making up Han's Seeds (2006), at the National Museum of Singapore
Born	Han Sai Por (1943-07-19) 19 July 1943 (age 82) Syonan (Singapore during Japanese occupation)
Nationality	Singaporean
Education	Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (1968) East Ham College of Art (1980) Wolverhampton College of Art (B.A. (Hons.) (Fine Art), 1983) Lincoln University
Notable work	Seed Series (1998) 20 Tonnes (2002)
Movement	Postmodernism
Awards	Cultural Medallion for Art (1995) winner, drawing and sculpture section, XI Triennale – India (New Delhi, 2005) Outstanding City Sculpture Award (China, 2006)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	韓少芙
Simplified Chinese	韩少芙
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hán Shào Fú Southern Min Hokkien POJ Hân Siáu-phû

Han Sai Por (born 19 July 1943) is a famous sculptor and artist from Singapore. She studied art at several places, including the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in Singapore and colleges in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Before becoming a full-time artist in 1997, she worked as a teacher and lecturer.

Han's art has been shown in many countries, like China, Japan, and the United States. Her first solo art show, called Four Dimensions, was held in Singapore in 1993. You can find her sculptures in public places around the world. In Singapore, her works are at places like Capital Tower, the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, and Changi Airport Terminal 3. She also helped start the Sculpture Society (Singapore) in 2001 and is now its Honorary President.

Han is most famous for her stone sculptures that look like natural shapes. Examples include Growth (1985) and Seeds (2006). Seeds is made from large stone pieces that look like plant seeds. Another well-known work is 20 Tonnes (2002), which features huge granite blocks. For her amazing contributions to art, Han received the Cultural Medallion for Art in 1995. She has also won other awards in India and China. In 2014, she was honored in the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Art Education

Han Sai Por was born on 19 July 1943 in Singapore. This was during the time when Japan occupied Singapore. She grew up in a poor family with five brothers and sisters. They lived in a simple house made of cardboard and coconut leaves.

Despite this, Han had a happy childhood. She loved going to the beach and making animal shapes out of sand. This helped her love nature and explore new things. When she was ten, her mother gave her a book about Michelangelo's sculptures. This sparked her interest in art.

Han went to Yock Eng High School and later trained to be a teacher. While teaching, she took art classes part-time at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) from 1975 to 1977. She saved money and then went to the United Kingdom to study fine art. She attended East Ham College of Art (1979–1980) and Wolverhampton College of Art (1980–1983). To pay for her studies, she worked as a cook, hotel maid, waitress, and even a street artist.

After returning to Singapore in 1983, Han became one of the first teachers for a new art program at Nanyang Girls' High School. She also taught part-time at NAFA and other art schools. Later, she studied landscape architecture in New Zealand at Lincoln University.

Artistic Journey and Works

Shimmering Pearls I (1999), Han's first work in glass, in front of Capital Tower, photographed on 2 February 2006

Han has shown her art in many exhibitions both in Singapore and other countries. These include China, Denmark, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, and South Korea. Her first solo exhibition, Four Dimensions, was held in Singapore in 1993. Other solo shows include Rainforest (1999) and 20 Tonnes – Physical Consequences (2002).

In 1997, Han became a full-time sculptor. Her sculptures are displayed all over the world. You can find them in Japan, Malaysia, and Washington, D.C. In Singapore, her works are in many public spaces. These include Shimmering Pearls I (1999) at Capital Tower and Seed Series (1998) at the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. Her sculpture Flora Inspiration (2007) is at Changi Airport Terminal 3.

Flora Inspiration (2007) at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3, photographed on 8 January 2008

In 2001, Han became the first President of the Sculpture Society (Singapore). She is still its Honorary President. In 2009, she was the first artist to work at the Society's Sculpture Pavilion in Fort Canning Park. There, she created sculptures from tembusu tree trunks. This project allowed artists to work in public and interact with people.

In 2005, Han moved her studio to Workloft@Wessex. This was an old army camp turned into an artists' village. In 2006, she held a charity art show with other artists. The money raised helped victims of an earthquake in Yogyakarta. In 2008, she received a grant to create art based on Singaporean plants.

In 2010, Han had an exhibition called The Changing Landscape. This show talked about deforestation and environmental damage in Singapore. She continued this theme in her 2011 and 2013 The Black Forest exhibitions. These shows featured charred logs and stumps, highlighting the destruction of forests.

In 2015, Han created Harvest, a sculpture about the environment. It was displayed at the Esplanade. Her Black Forest work was also shown at the Singapore Art Museum in 2016. In 2019, after eye surgery, she held a solo exhibition called Dance With The Wind. It included sculptures and paintings. In 2022, her exhibition The Forest and Its Soul featured works made with new techniques like laser cutting. In 2025, she displayed a huge 9-meter-tall artwork at the Padang.

Han's Artistic Style

Seeds (2006) in the grounds of the National Museum of Singapore, photographed on 14 June 2009

Han is most famous for her stone sculptures that look like natural forms. She believes her sculptures have "an inner life struggling to get out." She loves working with granite and marble. She once said, "Stone is one of my favourite materials. In the erosion of rock by wind and water are found original, vital qualities which express the significance of life."

Han often buys stone from quarries in different countries. The cost of the material for her art can be very high. But she is driven by the support and recognition she gets for her work. Her sculptures like Growth (1985) and Spirit of Nature (1988) show her love for organic shapes. Seeds (2006) are large stone kernels carved from rock found during the National Museum's renovation. Art experts say Han's work often explores the relationship between humans and nature. She wants people to remember that "we are part of nature and not apart from nature."

20 Tonnes (2002), photographed on 14 June 2009

Besides organic forms, Han also creates geometric sculptures. Her 1993 exhibition Four Dimensions featured ten geometric shapes. These included objects like Tetrahedron–Tetrahedron Interpenetration. Han explained that these works show how mathematical logic can create art. She said the "fourth dimension" is about human feelings and talents.

20 Tonnes, first shown in 2002, is now at the National Museum. It has six large granite blocks and two smaller ones, all carved from one huge rock. Han described it as showing "nature's physical reaction when it is impacted by force, gravity and energy." She feels a strong connection to the stone when she works, creating heat and energy.

Art curator Tay Swee Lin says Han's sculptures have "smooth, sensual lines" and are "quietly engaging." Her art shows the beauty and strength of stone and metal. Han carves, sands, and polishes her sculptures by hand. In Singapore, where land is scarce, her art helps us appreciate the delicate balance of nature in a city.

In 2015, Han created Harvest, her first work using stainless steel mesh. Unlike her heavy stone or wood sculptures, Harvest looks light and delicate. It shows birds, fish, and plants, which are often seen as small and fragile.

Han also creates paintings, usually with acrylics. Some of her recent exhibitions, like The Black Forest (2011) and Dance With the Wind (2019), included both sculptures and paintings. Her Black Forest paintings were in black and white, showing the destruction of the environment. For Dance With the Wind, she used a special white stone from China. Her paintings in this show captured the movement of wind and typhoons. Han mentioned that painting is calmer than sculpting, which involves "cutting, noise, dust and sweat."

Awards and Special Recognition

A seed sculpture by Han at the St. Regis Singapore hotel, photographed on 26 April 2008

In 1988, Han won an award from the Singapore National Theatre Trust. In 1990, she received a scholarship to study at the Portland Sculpture Park in England. There, she helped turn an old quarry into a sculpture park. She created a work called Flow through the Rocks. In 1993, she attended an art symposium in India.

In 1995, Han was given the Cultural Medallion for Art. This is a very high honor in Singapore. The award praised her as a "consummate carver" who was "passionate and emphatic about sculpture." She was also a finalist for the Women Inspire Awards in 2002. In 2005, she won an award in India for her Bud, Leaf and Seed Series. The next year, she won the Outstanding City Sculpture Award in China.

In 2008, Han received a grant to create more art based on Singaporean plants. In 2014, she was added to the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. In 2024, Forbes magazine included her in its 50 Over 50 Asia list, recognizing her achievements.

Major Exhibitions