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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Artscape Exhibition, 1-3 Dec @ SOTA

Participating in Artscape 1st edition with my fellow artists at the studio, it's gonna be fun with some over 50 artists at SOTA and over 300 artworks.   

The common thread of my paintings this round is travel. Travel in time, travel in whimsical dreams, travel to foreign lands.. wherever my brushstrokes take me.. 

"Yesteryear", a juxtaposition of the present Capitol Theatre morphing into the charming Capitol Cinema of old,

"Paper Planes", a little girl's whimsical flight of fancy at Changi airport, 

"Lanterns" and "Marina Lights", abstract depictions of the red lanterns and night lights that thread the magic at Chinatown and Marina Bay,

"Cape of Hope", "Icelandic Houses" and "Brilliance", faraway dreams of fond places remembered.. Capetown (South Africa) at dusk, Reykjavik (Iceland) in winter, and Mont Tremblant (Canada) woods in autumn.  

Sneak peek of the first painting here, visit the exhibition to see the rest :)

Date: 1 ~ 3 Dec 2017, 12pm-10pm
Venue: SOTA Art Gallery
1 Zubir Said Drive, Level 2, Singapore 227968
Tel: 8192 4122 
Website: www.artscapesg.com
MRT: Dhoby Ghaut, Exit B

Joseph Isaac Schooling

Welcome home, Joseph Isaac Schooling. It is good to see you staying relaxed, good-natured and unfazed, all the brouhaha and attention notwithstanding. You certainly deserve the immense adulation and numerous accolades, and the greatest honour of course, if it can even match the historic moment that you touched that wall ahead of Michael Phelps, Chad Le Clos and Laslo Cseh, all amazingly reaching at the same time for the silver but that's another story. 

When you came in first in the heats, I wondered if you had peaked too soon. But your focus on winning was clear, not putting too much on the win. Even when you won the gold, you said it is not as if it is your 22nd or 23rd, showing the same humbleness and respect to your fellow swimmers, all greats in their own right on their day, especially your hero Michael Phelps who went on to win his 23rd. The spirit of comradeship amongst the medallists during the lap of honour was one of the most touching that I have witnessed on the sports arena which epitomises Olympics at its best. This is what true competition is about, the best for the sport above all.  Whether a baton is passed or not, only history will know but with this right spirit, may this be only the beginning. And let not that pressure cooker that is that great, ahem, oft unreasonable, Singapore Expectation ever get to you. 

Rejoice in your family time with your parents, who are heroes in their own right period. Enjoy your chai tow kueh for now. I know the feeling having just painted my away-from-home fried carrot cake cravings in 2 paintings currently exhibiting at Fullerton Hotel.  And this is what I was moved to paint on that historic day - of you breaking out in smiles of joy, and perhaps, relief, during a TV interview by the poolside soon after the triumph. It was an unforgettable expression which I hope I have done justice to. Well done, my compatriot.  

Title:  Jubilation ~ Joseph Isaac Schooling (A61) 
Description: Tribute to Joseph Isaac Schooling, winner of the 100m butterfly at the 2016 Olympics, attaining Singapore's first-ever Olympic gold medal and in record time. Inspired by the historic images of the triumphant 21-year-old on the podium, with Michael Phelps, Chad Le Clos and Laszlo Cseh tied for a silver, and painted on the same day 13 Aug 2016, from a tv interview of our homegrown boy breaking out in smiles of jubilation, and perhaps, relief. Well done, my compatriot.
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 30 x 23cm.

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.