Art by Yen ~ Singapore Shophouses, an evolving VR exhibition

** Evolving Exhibition **

Art by Yen ~ Singapore Shophouses

WHERE: Virtual (VR) exhibition on ExhVerse at:

https://e.fliphtml5.com/artbyyen/lyjp/index.html

WHEN: This is an evolving exhibition of artist Ong Hwee Yen's legacy works from 2022 

in tribute to her favourite architecture in her home city, 

with updates from time to time. Currently featuring artworks upto 2026 including sold ones. 

OR catch a 1-minute video of the guided tour below:

ROOTS & WINGS art exhibition, 2-8 Dec @ ION Art Gallery

Happy to be invited to take part in the Voice of Art 5: Roots & Wings exhibition curated by Be One Gallery, with the latest artwork from my Singapore Shophouses series, Emerald Hill Shophouses inspired by a certain little nonya drama. Plus I have always wanted to paint Emerald Hill and finally got round to exploring the heritage conservation area properly, braving the crowds, tourists and all in the heart of our busy Orchard Road shopping belt :p

Click here for the theme of the exhibition and the participating artists. I am in good company :)

EXHIBIT DETAILS 
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WHERE: 
ION Art Gallery,Level 4, ION Orchard,
2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801

MRT: Orchard Station Exit 5,
ION Orchard Lift Lobby A to level 4

WHEN: 
2-8 Dec, 10am-10pm
Opening Ceremony: 3 Dec (Wed) 5.30-7.30pm 

WEBSITE:
www.beonegallery.com/voa5
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Learn more about my Singapore Shophouses series at this 1-minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4j0BdN_q50
Or check out the full interactive display at: https://www.artsteps.com/view/68161c93eddde8380ae6285a 

___________________________

p.s. It is also around the time for yearend seasonal shopping, never mind the erm.. madness of our times, let that not spoil our wondrous right to celebrate the twin joys of Christmas & New Year :) Check out the annual online sale on my Art By Yen website, with 15% off for any 2 items using coupon code: CHR15%2025. Limited promotion period.

                                           

SPECTRUM art exhibition, 5-7 Sept @ Visual Art Centre Dhoby Ghaut Green

It's been a while, happy to participate in an exhibition at Visual Art Centre Dhoby Ghaut Green, 5-7 Sept, by Studio Fine Arts with some recent SG artworks :) 

p.s. For those in town, do drop by this serene green oasis in Orchard Road for its lovely gardens and local art activities before the area is redeveloped as I have heard there are plans. It is a lovely place with many nostalgic memories for me personally as an important part of my art journey, and a key reason for my participation.

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EXHIBIT DETAILS:

WHERE:       Visual Art Centre, 

                    10 Penang Road,  

                    #01-02 Dhoby Ghaut Green, 

                    Singapore 238469

MRT:            Dhoby Ghaut, Exit A

WHEN:        Sept 5, 5pm-7.30pm (Fri Opening);

                    Sept 6, 11am-7.30pm (Sat);

                    Sept 7, 11am-5pm (Sun)

WEBSITE:    www.studiofineartz.com

____________________________________

Learn more about my Singapore Shophouses series at this 1-minute video: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq9L8wR2ETQ

Or check out the full VR display at: https://www.artsteps.com/view/68161c93eddde8380ae6285a 

                                           

Affordable Art Fair Singapore 2024, 7-10 Nov @ F1 Pit Building

** Upcoming Event **

Affordable Art Fair Singapore 2024

WHERE: F1 Pit Building, 1 Republic Boulevard,

S 038975, Studio Fine Art Gallery (#2A-06)

MRT: Promenade (Downtown Line)

WHEN: Nov 7, 2-10pm (Thur private view);

Nov 8, 11am-6pm, 6-10pm (Fri);

Nov 9, 11am-7pm (Sat);

Nov 10, 11am-6pm (Sun)

BUY TICKETS Nov 8-10: 

​https://affordableartfair.com/fairs/singapore

My Joo Chiat Corner art series (part 2)

​The art journey inspired by Van Gogh continues with the depictions of the nooks and corners around my studio in the peranakan enclave, Joo Chiat, in eastern Singapore..  

The exploration begins within my studio where I was inspired by a neighbour to garden. Twas another trials and tribulations journey for one not predisposed to green fingers and a therapeutic journey to have some finally flourish and adorn my window view :)  As well as inspire me to paint still life!

      

                                    Kalanchoe of Joy, 24x18 inches, oil on canvas

With these yellow florals I had bought for chinese new year looking mightily familiar to me ~ reminiscent of a certain master's famous sunflowers ~ Kalanchoe of Joy was born with a composition that is a nod to Van Gogh, no less. The companion piece, Orchid of Life, is a special one as the Singapore national flower is an orchid. It was pure joy to watch these elegant blooms open one by one. And to paint them :) 

   

      

                                     Orchid of Life, 24x18 inches, oil on canvas

Enough smiling with the flowery, the next works are literally corner pieces. To live up to my art series' namesake, kidding ;p There is a beauty to architecture in corners. They anchor the place and provide a fascinating study of the crossing cultures and historical mix of the place. I believe that buildings are alive and witnesses to the tumultuous happenings around them in the passage of time. I don't like straight lines and so in spite of my love for painting buildings, they are never mathematically structural and always organic to my surreal feel for the sights and sounds of the scenes that touch me.

 

Joo Chiat Corner, 24x36 inches, oil on canvas 

Joo Chiat Corner holds a dear childhood memory to me. Twas an old bus route that I used to take with the bus huffing and puffing at the turn, oft getting stuck due to some parked vehicle. The same bus still goes by today but the road is now an improved one-way with a nice pavement. I miss the shops of old with the bustling traditional trades but I also like the mix of old and modern today with the contrasting architecture at both sides that have seen the times change. On the left we have the more Malay-Islamic style buildings leading to Geylang Serai. On the right are the more Chinese ones with some truly beautiful peranakan residences down the stretch. Joo Chiat Road itself is a bridge between malay Geylang Serai and chinese peranakan Katong areas, 2 distinct cultures. And so we have an interesting melting pot of 2 colourful architectural influences at this lovely corner that inspired my whimsical take. 

  

       

                The Corner Shophouse (joo chiat road), 30x20 inches, oil on canvas

Just further down Joo Chiat Road is an iconic shophouse in an angled corner, a 1928 building with impressive chinese dragons overlooking the buzz in the shops below. The building was originally bright yellow when I moved into the area and then painted over beige white which annoyed me at the loss of colour. But one day when I was walking by in the twilight, the dark mahogany motifs came alive and struck me how delicately intricate they were with many unknown ancient creatures woven into them if one were to look carefully. The motifs of this building are simply beautiful no matter what new paint coats adorn them or how the shops below have changed from traditional trades to a hip coffee joint today. And it is this slice of history, this moment in time, that I am capturing in The Corner Shophouse, just as the architectural beauty itself is a timeless testament travelling from the past to the present.

 
Pretty Alley (koon seng road), 24x18 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD
 

Insta enthusiasts and tourists often make a beeline for the Koon Seng Road shophouses near the middle junction of Joo Chiat Road, oft said to be the most colourful picturesque street in Singapore. If one really takes the time to explore the area, the real gems are the peeks of these peranakan beauties from the many backlanes and corridors. I stumbled across this Pretty Alley that frames possibly one of the most photographed green and pink houses with high alley windows dancing towards them together with the arching lamppost. My feline friend in the picture would agree with me that it is a beau-ootiful view :) 

Corridor View (koon seng road), 24x18 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD

​Finally, my sojourn ends with an entrancing Corridor View framing the last shophouse in the famous row. It's an intriguing one with a view within a view within a view, if you can spot what I am saying ;p

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Purchase any items at my art stores:

www.artbyyen.com

15Oct-30Nov only: use code CHR2023 at checkout for buy 2 get 1 for 50% off ​

yenpaintings.etsy.com

25% off your order when you buy 2 items by 30Nov 

p.s. For the nft-inclined, my inaugural OpenSea store:

https://opensea.io/artbyyen

My Joo Chiat Corner art series

​It all started with a dalliance with van gogh..  

Don't we all when starting out as novice painters of western art? Falling in love with the starry nights, the vibrancy of the palette, drawn by the energy and impassioned artworks of the most famous painter of them all. At least Yen did, and went on to discover a whole new world of impressionism and expressionism.

Chinatown Blues (teck lim road), 30x24 inches, ​oil on canvas

But Van Gogh remains unique, described as post-impressionist but not yet modern art, one can never peg him as either as there were none like him and none after.  

The Blue Shophouse (joo chiat road), 30x20 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD

The 8 Shophouses (joo chiat road), 14x80inches (8 canvas panels @14"x10"), ​oil on canvas

Yen was perhaps one of millions inspired to pick up the painting brush by this great man who poignantly was not recognized professionally in his equally well known dramatic lifetime. ​​  

 

A Stroll At Joo Chiat (joo chiat road), 24x33 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD 

                                

                             Five Foot Way (joo chiat road), 24x18 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD

While Van Gogh painted in Arles France (Yen had the privilege of traversing to for a tribute), Yen painted in our very own backyard. Yes, Singapore. The place Yen calls home after years of backpacking and art-ing around the world.

 

Once Upon A Time (joo chiat Kuan Im Tng temple), 20x30 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD

 

Memory Lane (joo chiat), 18x18 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD

Her DREAMembrance series , exploring the interplay between dreams and memories, are vignettes of local landmarks in impasto abstract style, a nod to the man who first inspired her in the beginning.  

  

A Vintage Shophouse (joo chiat road), 14x10 inches, acrylic on canvas, SOLD

​Recently, the wanderer has found a permanent home for her studio in eastern Singapore. The little enclave called Joo Chiat with the ubiquitous peranakan houses is becoming very lively with exquisite culinaries sprouting alongside traditional works and nonya eateries. In this charming place, Yen discovers nooks and corners to love to bits every day and to put into her paintings as her art journey continues with her  My Joo Chiat Corner series..

The 8 Peranakan Houses (koon seng road), 14x80inches (8 canvas panels @14"x10"), ​oil on canvas, SOLD

Purchase paintings at my art store.

Birds flew over the Pagoda St nest, Secret Garden & SG50

The week of 23-29 March 2015 has been an emotional one for my fellow countrymen, mourning the departure of a great one whom we owe an indelible debt whatever may be said about the man. The saying that his monument is everywhere is probably something that fully hit the national conscience of many of us only now upon his passing. 

Ironically, I rarely paint Singapore, because it is simply too close to heart. And I always used to think, why is there a need to capture in images, what I already know so well and feel so strongly about, albeit mixed feelings? So my focus has always been on my wanderings, where I am but a transient passer-by to foreign lands, and will need the images to remember my feelings by when I grow old one day, sitting on that rocking chair reminiscing on my life's journey in this world ;p  But I am digressing. 

I have to admit I started painting Singapore again recently only because SG50 is the 'latest fashion', so to speak, for artistic outlet. But I am glad I did. I still stuck to material that strike an emotional chord with me, even if I have to go out and find it in our hot sweltering weather. And I do not really care if people recognise the place or not, as I was never a realist painter in the first place. There are plenty of good artists out there who can record landscape details for posterity. For me, art is and has always been about a personal emotional expression. 

Title: Birds flew over the Pagoda St nest (O120) 
Description: Whimsical painting of birds on a lamppost with festive red Chinese lanterns, over a plethora of colourful stalls tentage in Pagoda Street, a charming, touristy street market in Singapore Chinatown. SG50 Series. 
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 

Dimensions: 61 x 46cm. 

Title: Secret Garden (O124) 
Description: Blue Victorian whimsical painting inspired by a beautiful pavilion by Swan Lake at the Singapore Botanical Gardens when birds came a-chirping before the dreamy backdrop of a sculpture of swans in flight. SG50 Series. 
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 

Dimensions: 61 x 46cm. 

Title: A House at Katong (O123) 
Description: Expressionist painting rendering of an old house compound in Katong, a charming residential district in east Singapore with Peranakan (people of mixed Chinese and Malay heritage) origins. SG50 Series. 
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 

Dimensions: 61 x 46cm. 

Title: Tree Tapestry (O125) 
Description: Bright orange red abstract painting of a blue tree, in a myriad swirl of tapestry like floral emblems, inspired by lyrical tree branches and leaves by a pond at the Singapore Botanical Gardens. SG50 Series. 
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 

Dimensions: 61 x 46cm. 

Purchase at: yen.artfire.com 
* Birds flew over the Pagoda St nest & Secret Garden are currently on exhibition ~ Mosaic, an art show @ Volvo Art Loft, 2-28 April.

A Day at the Botanical Gardens & Bamboo Abstract

I have not been to the Botanical Gardens in a while. It was my favourite haunt many moons ago and what I always recommend to travellers to Singapore, but the MRT and other construction put a dampener of sorts. After gasp! umpteen years of wait, the dust finally settled.  

The gardens have been extensively revamped, no doubt due to the bid to be listed on UNESCO.  But thankfully, still recognisable, familiar and as beautiful as ever.  And oh the black swans are still there, in the lake, which I sat by for the longest time, moved into painting a sketch of the lone tree across. Then it started to shower with  the nearby pavilion providing a wonderful refuge for both people and pigeons ;p  The drops became almost a downpour before the water drama ended, yielding sunshine again.  I looked at the tree again. The feeling was simply marvellous.  And this was what I seek to capture in the painting created from the sketch.

I also saw the most lovely bamboo corner with the leaves rustling softly with the winds, a poetic sight to behold. And again another sketch which I later turned into an abstract painting. 

I have to go back again another time. So much more that moved me that day that I have yet to capture. And in a manner different from my earlier busy works. A quieter rendition, an indescribable feeling. This is after all, my favourite place in Singapore.

Title: Bamboo Abstract (O119) 
Description: Abstract painting of bamboo trees rustling in the winds invoking imagery of colourful floral and singing birds, in Chinese ink painting style. Singapore Botanical Gardens, SG50 Series. 
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 

Dimensions: 61 x 46cm. 

Title: A Day at the Botanical Gardens (O118) 
Description: Poetic abstract painting of a lone whimsical tree of green, in the winds above the waters, inspired by a lake at  the Singapore Botanical Gardens. SG50 Series. 
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 

Dimensions: 61 x 46cm. 

Purchase at: yen.artfire.com 

Rooftop

Been a while since I painted my homeland. This orange monochrome piece is inspired by an abstract picture of light and smoke I had created from a chance photograph I took from a bus window while it briefly stopped outside the Singapore Lasalle College of the Arts.  The morning sunlight reflecting brightly on the roof caught my eye, as well as the atmospheric effect of fumes being sprayed at the time creating a Chinese landscape atmosphere out of the overhanging trees, and that was how I developed the image. 

The composition of triangular and other shapes was perfect in the original picture and the only difference I made was the figure of the old man which became a Chinese long haired woman in my painting.  Not sure why but I painted most of this work outdoors at a myartspace market event on Dhoby Ghaut Green and somehow amidst all the murmurings of the bystander public in the background, the figure change became just right for this poignant piece ;p

Title: Rooftop (O116) 
Description: Orange monochrome impressionist painting inspired by morning sunlight reflecting off the rood top of a building at Singapore Lasalle College of the Arts grounds. 
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 

Dimensions: 61 x 61cm. 
Purchase at: yen.artfire.com

Timeless.. like a pink elephant!

I am often asked why I don't paint Singapore. The truth is, it is probably too close to heart. Even in my younger days flirting with art club and pencil portraits, I could do perfect strangers but not close ones. Maybe older is wiser for I've finally overcome the strange malaise and found an emotional arc about my homeland that I have an urge to express. 

But sorry folks, it's not going to be pretty nostalgia nor heritage, for that is never my inclination.  I call the theme Mirage Island for we are forever in a state (or being told we are so) of flux, change, crossroads, survival, etc.. What is real, what is imagined?.. What is just glittery?  What can we really hold on to?

The piece featured here should not be too hard to recognise. As for the title, your guess is as good as mine. 

Title: Timeless.. like a pink elephant! (O69)
Description: Mirage Island series, exploring the myth of Singapore whether we are real or imagined. The subject building was the General Post Office historically but is today a luxury hotel retaining the Fullerton name. 2011.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76 x 51cm. 
SOLD.