“The meaning is not in the image, it is in the shadow of the image projected by montage onto the field of consciousness of the spectator...Through the contents of the image and the resources of montage, the cinema has at its disposal a whole arsenal of means whereby to impose its interpretation of an event on the spectator.” – André Bazin, film critic & theorist
The stylised settings of these paintings are not intended to romanticise nor idealise modernity or tradition. Instead, they are a subtle portrayal of a society: the richness of its culture, the banalities of an era. As a body of work, the imageries suggest at the moulding and remoulding of culture and cultural forms through time and interaction, especially during a period of great political, social and cultural change throughout Singapore and Southeast Asia.
The Waltz, oil on linen, 190 x 130cm, 2014.
City Dwellers, oil on linen, 160 x 135cm, 2014.
Mansionette, oil on canvas, 294 x 100cm, 2014.
The Wives, oil on linen, 160 x 100cm, 2014.
Bangsawan (The Polygnist), oil on linen, 150 x 120cm, 2014.
The Craftsman, oil on linen, 120 x 95cm, 2014.
The Raconteur, oil on linen, 120 x 80cm, 2014.
Street Market, single channel video, colour, 2014.
Man Smoking Pipe, single channel video, colour, 2014.
Selamat Tinggal, oil on canvas, 243 x 91cm, 2013.