Each oil work emanates from a local scene that spoke to the artist. Attention to architectural details and local colour become significant as it is the viewer recognition of the place and its beauty that is the fundamental intent of the work to resonate with Singaporeans and people who have lived here, that this is our vibrant legacy. But they are not observist replicas. With her freewheeling bending of perspectives, Yen meticulously captures the various ornamental features that are special to her with her intricate sculptural textures often using toothpick work, interspersed with modern whimsical quirks of people and animals that allude to the current atmosphere of the place, to complete her unique interpretation of the Peranakan legacy over time up to the present. Like the buildings, her work is a capture of the sense of the place past and up to the date of the work. And the architecture lives on after.
Life is short and Yen intends to continue with this series for as long as she can, to eventually map out her Peranakan footprint in Singapore, as this is her legacy to her homeland. These shophouse paintings have found homes in private collections worldwide, including the United States, Europe, Australia and Singapore.
Explore the evolving interactive virtual exhibit of the series or check out this 1-minute video to experience the charm of historic shophouse streetscapes captured in post-impressionist modernist style.
