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 

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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

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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 

                                           

Art by Yen ~ Singapore Shophouses, an evolving VR exhibition

** Evolving Exhibition **

Art by Yen ~ Singapore Shophouses

WHERE: Virtual (VR) exhibition on artsteps.com at: 

https://www.artsteps.com/view/68161c93eddde8380ae6285a

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 2025 including sold ones. 

VR exhibition is viewable from browser directly

OR download the Artsteps app & search "Singapore Shophouses" for the exhibition. 

If you have trouble viewing the VR exhibition, catch a 1-minute video of the guided tour below:

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.

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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Rooftop Artists Open House, 19~21 Jan @ Halcyon 2

The picture says it all, cya!

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