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:

Creation of DREAMembrance art series

A post shared by Yen (@yenpaintings) on Jul 14, 2018 at 11:10am PDT

"Lau Pa Sat", 30" x 24", oil on canvas 2018.  

The place that my eyes are drawn to whenever I am in town, the Telok Ayer Market, its chinese moniker the Old Market, an archtiectural landmark haven that has always been, never mind the endless modernity sprouting around it.  

A post shared by Yen (@yenpaintings) on Jul 28, 2018 at 8:01am PDT

"The Lost Station", 30" x 24", oil on canvas 2018 

Lost in time, literally, our beloved Tanjong Pagar Railway Station saw its last train depart from Singapore to Malaysia in 2011 and then closed in 2016 to be re-made into a new mrt station, due far away in 2025.

A post shared by Yen (@yenpaintings) on Jul 31, 2018 at 6:16am PDT

"The Silent Dome", 30" x 24", oil on canvas 2018 
From the Supreme Court to the National Gallery, the quintessential Dome stayed intact, thankfully, a comforting presence anchoring the padang field and a silent witness to many a historic event in the ever-changing city.

A post shared by Yen (@yenpaintings) on Jul 21, 2018 at 8:39pm PDT

"Chinatown Blues", 30" x 24", oil on canvas 2018 

The black white balconies at this classy row of peranakan shophouses on a nonchalent back lane called Teck Lim Road seem to jazz and have a life of their own, nudging me to paint them. And so I did.

Visit DREAMembrance art exhibition 3-5 Aug: https://www.facebook.com/events/624970771220288/

DREAMembrance art exhibition, 3-5 Aug @ That Spare Room

An upcoming exhibition with 2 other artists whose works I love very much. It's been a wonderful meandering journey from the coming together more than a year ago, the initial ideas, the enjoyable discourses, the brainstorming, the theme, the planning, the venue, the slow but surely coming to fruition of the exhibition, and of course the painting, the exhilaration, the sharing, the learning, and yes, now finally the last lap to d-day on 3 August. Do join us :)

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DREAMembrance

journey into the wistful and wishful world between dreams and memories…

DREAMembrance presents the collective works of three artists as they explore the interplay between dreams and memories, creating a rich and colorful realm that bridges the past with the present, realities with aspirations. The artworks depict the artists’ emotive connections to places, people, objects, and experiences that transport the viewer to a deeply intimate space. 

Ong Hwee Yen offers a fresh take on local landmark scenes through a series of forget-me-not art vignettes of the place she grew up and dreamt in. Chris Lim’s paintings are a mix of reminiscences of landscapes, cityscapes, animals, and still life objects, conjuring a dream-like effect that evokes mystery, disorientation, and nostalgia. Using a semi-abstract approach, Arlyn de Jesus creates a series of social commentaries through whimsical mindscapes about living in a hyper-connected world.

EXHIBIT DETAILS:

WHERE:       That Spare Room @ The Fabulous Baker Boy, 70 River Valley Road #01-15, S 179037

MRT:            Fort Canning

WHEN:        August 3, 11am-5pm (Fri);

                    August 4, 11am-9pm (Sat);

                    August 5, 11am-5pm (Sun)

WEBSITE:    https://www.facebook.com/events/624970771220288/

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Homesick Singaporean Series

Ask an overseas Singaporean what he or she misses most about home, and inevitably the answer is food. Indeed some are already missing it on short trips away, such is the national obsession that bonds us all. 

The Homesick Series is originally inspired by a personal experience of being away from home for a year of studies in London, with Homesick I featuring many of my favourite foods, especially fried carrot cake, my all-time favourite that also featured in Homesick II. I was staying in a hall that catered, ahem, food that doesn't quite meet the standards, or asian palate, of Singlish-speaking ones, even for a poor student. It was hard to get by without a night of jokes at what we had to ingest, and scrimping to save for the occasional visit to a chinese restaurant, and rarer still then, a xingzhou restaurant that charged a dear pound for a stick of satay. Even the humble maggi noodles, which had to be specially scoured from a trip to chinatown, tasted of home. And chilli, I have never missed it more for my entire life! But I am digressing.

When I was asked to paint on the theme of food, an intrinsic part of our culture, and very much the DNA of a true blue Singaporean, whether Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian or other race, the “hunger agony” of my London days came vividly to mind. As well as a comment from our very own PM on what he hears most from overseas Singaporeans about missing home. 

Underlying the pining lies the fabric that glues us all together over the years since independence, and became a given to generations like myself, growing up loving the sweetness of Malay food, the heavenly peranakan cuisine, and oh Indian curry prata.. the list is just endless. Just as it was perfectly natural to have playmates of multi races and fun learning how to write tamil 1-2-3 from a classmate. 

This Series is thus a tribute to our special trait, our unique yearnings, our rare fortune and blessing as Singaporeans to have peace and harmony amongst different races and ethnicities, a rarity these days. And to celebrate it all over our mutual love of food, whether yours or mine, we can't tell often and really don't care for the difference, because when it comes to eating, we are one :)

Titles:  Homesick III, I & II (A56, A54 & A55) 
Description: Homesick Series of the typical overseas Singaporean missing her or his favourite foods back home while in a foreign land, whether studying or travelling. Very much a part of our multi-racial culture, the love of our colourful local food is ingrained in our DNA and a national passion that binds us all. 2016. 
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.

Exhibition: Sudah Makan? (Have you eaten?) Exhibition @ Fullerton Hotel, East Garden Foyer Gallery, 2-29 Aug 2016.
Purchase of paintings:  Please contact Baey Sock Hoon at baey@artstou.com.

Whimsical Little Girl series

Two more paintings for this Untitled series. Very different themes and places and time as well, but with a bit of personal connection to it. 

The nostalgic bicycle painting is inspired by snatches of childhood memories of a funny incident on my first day to kindergarten. On the day before, I couldn't decide which schoolbag to use so I kept packing and unpacking between the two. The next day, on excitedly reaching school, I found that I brought the wrong one ;p

I had wanted to do a green woods piece for some time, which became the second painting, an enchanted story of a little ponytail girl running barefoot on a sunlit path in a magical forest.

Something that I would love to do myself.  And yes, with a dog. The joy of nature, the joy of trees, the joy of running, the joy of accompaniment, the joy of exploration, the joy of light, the joy of being alive.

Enjoy the pieces!

Title:  Untitled 5 (A46) 
Description: Bright nostalgic painting of chinese man on bicycle ferrying a ponytail girl hugging her schoolbag, with rustic tile wall backdrop and wooden window where a little suitcase sits. Inspired by a childhood memory of my first day to kindergarten and found I brought the wrong bag. 2015. 
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.

Title:  Untitled 4 (A45) 
Description: Whimsical green forest nature painting where a little girl runs with her dog in the woods, on a yellow sunlit path past beautiful trees. 2015. 
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.


Purchase at:  yen.artfire.com