画家林祥雄的作品目前正在中国、台湾和香港等地进行为期一年的巡回展，为其在中国成立的专项基金会，帮助城乡儿童上学。

　　这位49岁的新加坡永久居民和成功的企业家正在为他于7月份在北京为中国扶贫基金会创立的创新基金会筹集资金。

　　林祥雄这个名字在中国是一位耳熟能详的著名艺术家，于上个月在北京开始举行其“民族性，国际性”的个人画展。画展过后他将从展出作品中挑选出10幅作品进行拍卖，从而为其与中国扶贫基金会合作成立的“创新基金”筹募善款。

　　9月16日，在北京中国革命博物馆举行的为期一周的画展最后一天，举行了一次拍卖会，他售出了9件作品，为基金会筹得总共142万元人民币（269,800新元）。基金会计划在中国农村地区为儿童建立学校。

　　在拍卖的作品中争标最高的一幅作品，题名为“夕阳、渔村”，以50万元人民币的价格售出，是他迄今所售出的最贵的一件作品。

　　林祥雄11岁时从中国移居新加坡，现任由20名成员组成的“创新基金”董事会主席。他对《海峡时报•生活版》说希望在2000年前为基金会筹得至少1000万元人民币。

　　他的巡回展展出作品大约130件。这些作品将在12月20～28日之间在上海美术馆展出。他计划第二次拍卖另外10件作品。

　　然后，画展将在1月份移至广州，3月份移至武汉。在两地同样计划举行拍卖会。

　　上个月，中国媒体对林祥雄在中国举办画展和成立基金会之事进行了广泛报道，包括官方的《人民日报》和《中国日报》中国媒体，以及有声望的杂志《中华英才》。

　　这是他自1990年以来在中国举办的第二次画展。这次展出将于明年5月在陕西西安展出、6月在成都和7月在沈阳巡展之后结束。

　　巡展是应中国文化部的邀请并由多个中国文化团体联合主办，其中包括中国艺术家协会、中国国际文化交流中心和林祥雄发起的创新基金会。

　　画展将于明年10月和11月分别移师香港和台湾。此外还将在两地举行拍卖会。

　　他说：“我计划在明年12月份完成这次中国巡回展后回返新加坡。”

　　他说他将从这次巡展中的130件作品挑选出50幅进行拍卖，从而为他的基金会筹款。该基金会是以他于20世纪70年代在新加坡建办的创新集团公司来命名的。

　　该集团主要在中国经营房地产、制造业、建筑材料、时装、出版和影视制作，他的大部份事业是以中国为基地。他这次大规模的中国巡展与义举，以及大量的出版物（画集与书本）象征着他回归他生命的原点——艺术！

　　他说：“现在，我的企业逐步稳建起来后，我想我该在艺术上多花些时间了。艺术仍然是我生命中最重要的一部分。我希望这次在中国的巡展将会为我在国际画坛上造成影响并建立我的知名度。”

　　他说：“这次为期一年的巡回展，以及画集及其他出版与开支大约花费约30万新元。他重申，他之会发起并创立‘创新基金’为农村儿童倡办学校让孩子们有机会上学，是因为在过去10年以来，他每次出差到乡下或山区时，目睹一群群的孩子们无法上学的情景而萌生这想法的。”

　　他说该基金会与中国各相关省和县的教育主管部门合作，目标是在全国各地建设至少100所学校。1月份有三所学校（河北、陕西和山西各一所）将建成。

　　他说，每所学校每年将收到5万～10万元，用于为农村地区小学生开办各种课程。

　　他还说，除卖画之外，还将向中国境内与海外的公司和个人筹款。

　　在被问道如果有人提出要求，他是否也会为新加坡的儿童提供这样的资助时，他回答说：“新加坡的儿童一般来说要比中国的儿童幸运得多。但虽然如此，只要有必要，我就会尽我的全力。”

　　关于这位画家

　　林祥雄出生于广东省潮州市的一个农家，童年生活艰难。1956年与在新加坡的父亲团聚，早期是在新加坡艺术学院接受美术教育。

　　1965年赴巴黎深造，1968年回国后举办了首次个人画展。

　　此后，虽然他的作品曾多次在新加坡境内外的其他画展上展出，但是由于繁重的商业工作，他的大多数时间都在海外。1975年至1985年间，他经常前往欧洲公干与创作。过去10年经常往返中国与新加坡。

　　（原刊于新加坡《海峡时报》，1994年10月24日）

Singapore artist sets up foundation in China to help educate rural children

　　ARTIST Lim Siang Hiong, whose works are now on a year-long exhibition tour of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, has set up a special foundation in China to help educate children in rural villages and towns there.

　　The 49-year-old Singapore permanent resident and a successful businessman is raising money for the Innovation Foundation he initiated in July.

　　Better known in China as Lin Xiangxiong, he is selling selected works from his travelling exhibition, Inter- nationalisation And Nationalisation, which started in Beijing last month.

　　At an auction on Sept 16, the last day of a week-long, exhibition at the Museum of the Chinese Revolution in Beijing, he sold nine paintings and raised a total of 1.42 million yuan (S$269,800) for the foundation. It plans to set up schools for children in rural areas in China.

　　Among the works auctioned is Twilight Over The Fishing Village which sold for 500,000 yuan, his most J expensive piece sold so far.

　　Lim, who moved to Singapore from China when he was 11, is chairman of the foundation's 20-member board of directors. He told Life! that he hopes to raise at least 10 million yuan for the foundation by the year 2000.

　　Some 130 of Lim's paintings are featured in his exhibition tour. These will move to the Shanghai Art Academy in Shanghai between Dec 20 and 28. A second auction of 10 paintings will be held there.

　　The exhibition will then move on to Guangzhou in January and Wuhan in March where auctions have also been planned.

　　Lim's shows in China and the formation of his foundation were publicized widely by the Chinese media, including the official People's Daily and China Daily, and reputable magazines like China Talents last month.

　　The exhibition, his second in China since 1990, will end after the shows in Xian next May, Chengdu in June and Shenyang in July.

　　The exhibitions are held at the invitation of the Chinese Culture Ministry and are being organised by several Chinese cultural bodies including the Chinese Artists' Association, the China International Culture Exchange Centre and Lim's Innovation Foundation.

　　The exhibition will then move on to Hong Kong next October and Taiwan next November. Auctions will be held in the two countries as well.

　　"I'm planning to complete the travelling exhibition by coming back to Singapore in December next year," Lim said.

　　He said he had offered about 50 of his 130 paintings for the six auctions to raise money for his foundation, which is named after his Innovation group of companies he formed in Singapore in the '70s.

　　The business group has interests in property, manufacturing, building materials, fashion, publication and film production, mainly in China. His travelling exhibition and the publication of a coffee-table book of his recent works is seen as his comeback to the art scene.

　　He said: "Now with my business established, I think it's time for me to spend more time on art which is still very much part of my life. I hope the shows in China will help me to be known internationally."

　　Lim said he spent $300,000 staging the yearlong exhibition which includes the publication of the book. He explained that he set up the foundation to help educate the children in the rural Chinese villages after spending time there on business during the past 10 years.

　　"Many children there still do not have the opportunity to go to school and I've decided to do something about that," he said.

　　He said the foundation, which works together with the education authorities of the various Chinese provinces and counties, aims to build at least 100 schools in different parts of the country. Three schools, one each in Hebei, Henan and Shanxi provinces, will be ready by January.

　　Each school will receive between 50,000 and 100,000 yuan a year to run classes for primary school pupils in the rural areas, he said.

　　Besides the sale of his paintings, he added that money will also be raised from business corporations and individuals in and outside China.

　　Asked if he would also give as much to Singapore's children if called upon, he replied: "Singapore's kids are much more fortunate than those in China generally, and are very well taken care of. But still, I'll do my bit whenever I'm needed."

　　ABOUT THE ARTIST

　　BORN in Chaozhou, Guangdong province, to a farming family, Lim Siang Hiong, had a difficult childhood before he joined his father in Singapore in 1956 and had his early art education at the Singapore Academy of Arts.

　　He left for Paris to further his studies in 1965 and held his first one-man show on his return in 1968.

　　Though his works had been displayed at several other exhibitions both in and outside Singapore since then, Lim spent most of his time overseas due to heavy business commitments. He travelled frequently to Europe between 1975 and 1985 and to China during the past 10 years.

　　( Printed on "The Straits Times", 24-10-1994 )

作者：梁荣锦