Hanafi studied painting at the Indonesian School of Fine Arts (now the Indonesia Institute of the Arts) in Yogyakarta. Moving to Jakarta in the 1990s where he currently lives and works, Hanafi gained a reputation for his luminous, abstract paintings which subtly conveys the sense of an interior meditative world. He established Studio Hanafi in 1999, a not-for-profit art space to develop a research-based social mechanism, that would be rooted in aesthetic values, dialogue and interdisciplinary collaborations.

In 2019, Hanafi was in Singapore to present his session to an audience at NAFA’s inaugural SEA Art Forum -The School of Art. Working together with Singaporean dancer Adly Azizi, Hanafi demonstrates his painterly interpretations of Adly’s physical movements on canvas as part of the session. The more he navigates the ‘language’ between the artistic realms, the deeper he understands the breadth of practices and imaginative possibilities that reveal themselves as he connects with others. His untitled painting is an outcome of this special collaboration and represents a methodology that can be part of an artist’s toolbox, with which to imagine new ways forward.

Joshua Yang was born 1974 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia who graduated from Nanyang Technological University with an Honors Degree in Civil Engineering 1998 before pursuing his BA at NAFA under the Huddersfield-NAFA Degree programme in 2004 and MFA (Sculpture) Open University UK-Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts programme in 2006. He worked briefly as a civil engineer and teaches at the NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, Pathlight School and part-time at NAFA and Republic Polytechnic.

Together with NAFA alumni Justin Loke and Fiona Koh, they founded Vertical Submarine, an art collective active in the local and international art scene, earning coveted awards including the President’s Young Talents Award and the Credit Suisse Artist Residency Award in 2009. In 2007, Yang completed a 48-hour drawing marathon and his most noted works are site-specific time-based drawings that employ a single continuous line; some were featured in the Singapore Biennale 2008 and Dojima River Biennale 2009. His public commissioned works include the Bishop quarters in Malaysia, Marymount MRT station in Singapore, and the Dojima Performing Arts Theatre in Japan.

Time & History #01, 1848 is an example of continuous line-work drawings. The artist reveals that it is the first after a seven-year hiatus from 2006 that attempts to combine the several expressions of time - linear, circular and eschatological time in one drawing that also takes into account the space and moment the viewer views the work. Yang’s visual interpretations of these concepts of time are influenced by Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben’s essays on the destruction of experience.

Born in Singapore in 1983, Yeo Jian Long first graduated from Nanyang Polytechnic with a Diploma in Digital Media Design in 2005 before pursuing fine art at NAFA. He received distinction for his Diploma in 2012 and his BA from Loughborough University-NAFA degree programme in 2013.

Meticulously executed in pen, the work opens up a visual expanse of uprooted trees, torrential rivers; powerful storms leave a trail of destruction in an imagined apocalypse. Making reference to a quote by French philosopher Denis Diderot, “The Salon of 1767”, Yeo draws on the human fascination with the apocalyptic end and offers the viewer an anachronistic example of that image in an old Master print/drawing style. Originally drawn in black ballpoint ink, the purple shades of ink are attributed to the chemical reaction between the ink, gessoed paper and exposure to sun light; an accidental result that evolved with the making of the work.

These print reproductions offer works by an historic cast of major artists from the Joseon era. Many of the key and mature works emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries, highlighting a major turning point for Korean painting of the time. Early Korean paintings were largely influenced by the literati works of China and the Buddhist qualities of early Japanese ink works. Joseon era painters pushed out from the idealistic and symbolic world to create genre paintings well regarded today, as the ‘true view’ style. Commonly overlooked for resembling classical Chinese ink paintings, these works by key artists such as Jeong Seon, Gim Hong-do, Yun Deok-hee, Shin Yun-bok, An Jun-sik, Kang Se-hwang, Kim Gyu-jin, Jeong Su-yeong and Cho Yeong-seok avail a closer, detailed view of what defined the spirited independence and innovations in paintings of the era. In both landscapes and figure works, there are elements of pictorial realism, succinct and anecdotal capsules of daily life as well as sophisticated exaggeration to inflect dramatic qualities. These works are exemplary pieces not simply as formal composition and technique, but for their unique, narrative quality that crystallises our understanding of true Korean painting in the Modern era.

Chen Chong Swee, also known as Chen Khai, was born in 1910, Chenghai County, Guangdong, China. He graduated from the Xinhua Arts Academy in Shanghai and Union High School in Shantou, China before settling in Singapore in 1934. Known as one of Singapore’s pioneering artist, Chen was also an influential art educator and writer passionate about the state of arts in Singapore. Chen spent his early years in Singapore teaching in Tuan Mong High School and Chung Cheng High School before heading the Chinese Painting Department in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), where he remained for more than 20 years. Proficient in a variety of mediums, including watercolour, oil, and Chinese ink, Chen was best known for his realist style and application of Chinese ink painting techniques. Mixing Chinese and Western pictorial traditions, Chen was one of the first to capture the Southeast Asian landscape and her people in the Chinese ink and brush landscape format.

The historic Church of St Paul in present-day Malacca was built in 1521 by a Portuguese sailor to express his gratitude to Virgin Mary for ensuring his safety during a storm at sea. The building bore witness to several historical events in the city of Melaka, a city that that was occupied by different nations over the centuries. Chen’s Church of St Paul’s Malacca presents the interior of the building. Careful consideration was put into composition taking into the account of the position of the midday sun, as the artist skilfully plays with the colours palette to create light and shadows. With the shadows offering a counterpoint to light, looking through dome shaped walls is like looking through a portal that transports one back in time, to a place of rumination and contemplation that was once before, under the same blue sky.

Born and raised in Singapore, Lim Poh Teck’s childhood was heavily influenced by Chinese culture and his life is very much shaped by Asian values. After studying in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore, Lim ventured to University of New South Wales in Australia to obtain his Master of Art (Media Art), and later PhD from Peking University in China. His experiences abroad, whether for education or leisure, had impacted his art practice.

As a Singaporean artist, Lim is deeply influenced by both Eastern and Western art that played an integral part in his training and heritage. His works are often analogies that arise from his observations of people and culture, societal concerns and modern tensions, consciously characterised by extensive use of invented symbols and bold lines that are rhythmic and imaginative.

Celebration is an example of Lim's signature use of organic vegetal forms inspired by nature, that demonstrates the technique of applying meticulous strokes that produces a sense of rhythm and density.

Tang Da Wu was born in Singapore in 1943. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art from Birmingham Polytechnic (now Birmingham Institute of Art and Design) in the UK, and subsequently pursued his Master of Fine Art at Goldsmith College in 1985. In 1988, he founded The Artist Village, an art collective that discusses and pushes boundaries of the art scene in Singapore. Besides being an artist, Tang is also an educator and has taught in art schools in Singapore and in the UK, including Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. At present, he is a part-time lecturer at the National Institute of Education, Singapore.

The Bull was inspired by Picasso’s Guernica work, a follow on from Tang’s methodology in using found objects. The limestone rock which formed the base of the artwork belonged to the artist and was transformed into a bull with the steel fabrication of horns. The head represents a living fossil of ideas: in art history, Tang’s history and Singapore’s history.

Chiew Sien Kuan is a NAFA alumnus, a long-serving teaching staff who has held appointments as Programme Leader and Deputy Head of the NAFA Fine Art Department in the past 2 decades. He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Tasmania, Australia and Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education from NTU, NIE Singapore in 2008. A versatile artist and teacher, Chiew’s interests include painting, drawing, sculpture, assemblage and installations.

The Iron Bridge alludes to the now disused Ulu Pandan Railway Bridge built in 1965 that connected Bukit Timah Road to Jurong. An infrastructure that was once an industrial icon in Singapore’s history, Chiew considers the bridge as a physical and spiritual connector between his past and future. The road below brings the eye to a vanishing point just beyond, into the unknown, offering space for contemplation and musings. The work takes on an industrial appearance through the use of non-traditional art materials such as cement, enamel paint, and carbon chalk.

Hong Sek Chern is best known for her paintings of architecture and structures. Using Chinese ink as her medium of choice, she explores a combination of linear, non-linear and multi-point perspectives of urban landscapes. Steering away from the conventional norms in Chinese ink painting, Hong’s works are refreshing and intriguing and she has established a style that is uniquely hers.

16 Cantonment Road demonstrates the use of multi-point perspective to create pictorial and abstract compositions. Hong imagines this view of the cityscape standing atop a HDB block at Cantonment Road, to be the very same view that former bitcoin exchange firm, First Meta’s Chief Executive Officer, Autumn Radtke could have been looking at before she took her own life in 2014. The view is no longer the way it once was. The artist poses the question ""When we are faced with troubles, do we see despair or hope?""

Hong Sek Chern is best known for her paintings of architecture and structures. Using Chinese ink as her medium of choice, she explores a combination of linear, non-linear and multi-point perspectives of urban landscapes. Steering away from the conventional norms in Chinese ink painting, Hong’s works are refrxeshing and intriguing and she has established a style that is uniquely hers.

A dedicated artist and educator at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts for over two decades, painter and sculptor Chiew Sien Kuan passionately persisted in his own professional practice during his own time. Graduated with a Diploma in Fine Art from the Academy in 1989, Chiew obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tasmania, Australia and Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education from NTU, NIE Singapore in 2008. Like Singapore’s pioneer artists who taught at the Academy who continued to explore and create a varied body of work in their lifetime, Chiew challenges himself to create art that is relevant in today’s contemporary setting. His interests include drawing, painting, sculpture, assemblage and installations.

All Ye Shall Sing enacts a storm scene that is both powerful and magnificent. Chiew had worked on smaller drafts before creating it large scale. The use of ink and enamel paint on paper created textures that were unpredictable, yet he adapted and controlled it sufficiently allow him to freely express his inner vision into a physical manifestation. Shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein – a carefully chosen verse from the Bible lends concord to the entire piece of work, a connection he felt could express the source of life and energy.

Once There Was a Mountain exemplifies Hong’s experimentation to move beyond flat surfaces by investigating the possibility of the three-dimensional in ink painting. It was inspired by the late artist Anthony Poon, who developed the technique of stretching canvas over a premade three-dimensional form to create his Wave relief series. By boldly reconstructing surface textures to expand the views of Chinese ink traditions through paper reliefs, Hong challenges inherited norms, yet retains the essence of Chinese brushwork.

Drawing from themes of religion, history, identity and collective memories, emerging Indonesian-born artist, Liza Markus was trained in Fine Art at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. She graduated with a Diploma in Fine Arts (Sculpture) in 2017. Apart from incorporating ceramic works in her installations, Markus explores and extensively integrates her works with an array of materials such as found objects and used fabrics to convey her concepts and personal narratives. Equipped with the skills of a sculptor, Markus is adept in assembling assorted materials together. The selection of materials and concepts of her work exudes emotional dexterity and maturity seen in her sculpture, installation, writing and textile arts.

For Adams and Eves of the World, Markus expresses her feeling of a ‘lost rib’ through the parable of Adam when God took his last rib to create Eve as his companion. The artist’s interpretation of the story presents Adam as dissatisfied with what God has done. In her work, she parallels this vision of an unfair trade with God.

Markus presents this twist of the story with an installation composed from a display cabinet and collection of ‘12 ribs’ created from the 20 years of the artist’s clothing. These ‘ribs’ covered with fragments of her old clothes represents her conscious life, symbolizing moments of weak faith and struggles.

The ‘12 ribs’ made of fabric shows how Markus revitalises found objects such as the cabinet and her old clothes. She assembles the extant meaning of the objects and embeds them further with new meaning in a new grammar of reconstruction and form. Markus is a sensitive artist who reflects deeply on her practice and her personal narratives. Her creative endeavour shows how she can produce a unique visual language that speaks of her own life while carving a practice of rich and engaging experiences in her art form.

Constantly inspired by the human figure, the late Singaporean sculptor-potter and artist Ng Eng Teng’s creative legacy is best represented by his monumental sculptural works which stood on public spaces around Singapore. Ng was trained in Western drawing and painting at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts under pioneer artists Chen Chong Swee, Georgette Chen, Chen Wen Hsi and Cheong Soo Pieng. Upon his own initiative, Ng explored the possibilities of sculptural forms and incorporated them into his creative practice. With the encouragement from his teacher, Georgette Chen, Ng went on to further his studies in sculptural art overseas in the 1960s. Upon his return to Singapore in 1966, he set up a ceramic workshop and taught pottery in his home and studio.

Nude exemplifies Ng’s drawing technique and understanding of the human form. Using only coloured pencils, Ng’s meticulous renderings of the woman’s delicate flesh bring to life the spirit of the sitter and demonstrated the sensitivity of the artist. Figure drawings such as this is often used as a draft to analyse human forms, which the artist would later develop into his sculptural and ceramic works.

Singapore born artist Chieu Shuey Fook is recognised for his inventiveness in his artistic vision and adept use of unconventional materials in his art making; a result of decades of experiments and experience working in a variety of materials in both commercial and artistic projects. Over the years he discovered and created methods that allowed him to consistently achieve textures, colour and forms across the material he works in, creating expressive surfaces that are distinctively his own. Chieu graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1953 with a Diploma in Western Painting, and was deeply influenced by his teacher, pioneer artist Cheong Soo Pieng. His prolific career and practice reflect his originality and desire to refresh traditions with a modern outlook. Chieu’s oeuvre consists of batik, zinc etchings, enamels and glass, metal reliefs, large-scale murals and compositions.

Belonging to a generation when modern art movement was greatly influential in the late 20thcentury locally and the world at large, Chieu’s body of works are predominantly abstract in expression. In the early 2000s, Chieu experimented with semi-abstract geometric forms and figures on metal reliefs, developing a series of unique contemporary compositions. The Model exemplifies its contemporary qualities that reflect Chieu’s evolving style and practice. Compared to many of his lively figure metal works that depict the movement of limbs, this work offers a sense of stillness and the grace of a female figure. This work is an observation of the artist’s continued experimentations.

Born in Singapore in 1947, Poon Lian graduated from NAFA in 1969 and majored in Western Painting. He learnt Chinese ink painting under pioneer artist Chen Wen Hsi and is adept at both Western and Chinese painting techniques. Even as ran his own business, he contributed to NAFA in various capacities as an alumnus and continued to practice as an artist. He retired in 2003 and turned full time, to paint and travel. In 2020, he was named the Ngee Ann Artist of the Year for his achievements and contribution to the local artist community.

Warsi Bungalows is a picturesque guesthouse in Ubud that Poon stayed on a painting trip to Bali with his artist friends in 2005. It was only in 2019 he decided to paint it, to relive the memories and his experiences. The atmosphere is relaxed, steeped in culture and old architecture. An ordinary moment yet extraordinary to a guest and traveller from afar. Poon captures this sentiment with excellent draughtsmanship, softened with deliberate additions: a lady walks up the stairways, blooming lotuses in the pond in the foreground, adding colour, perspective and diversity to the composition. Poon’s technical capabilities are honed from years of practice and consolidation of his training in both Western and Chinese painting traditions.

Born in 1937, Singaporean artist Ho Kah Leong is a prominent figure in Singapore’s artistic circle. He trained at NAFA for a short stint in the mid-1950s and completed his secondary education at Chung Cheng High School. He continued his studies at the Nanyang University in 1963, became a teacher before entering politics in 1966. After serving as a Member of Parliament for 3 decades, he was appointed as principal of NAFA in 1997 and served the Academy for 6 and a half years.

Woodblock printing is an artform that gained traction in Singapore in the 1950s and 60s. Singaporean artists including Ho, closely reflected the reality of the times. While his artist peers veered toward socio-political themes, Ho’s works were more personal and offered a glimpse of his family members who were influential forces in his life that moulded him. The tender images of parental love between a mother and child; him as a child hitching a ride to school on his father’s bicycle and a family relaxing under a tree near the old City Hall are feelings and sentiments of love that is pure and unconditional. The woodcuts may (at first glance), appear to be two-dimensional and singular in the depiction of the figures, subtle details reveal the lived realities of post war Singapore that is on its road to independence and nationhood.

The late artist Tan Kian Por trained at NAFA from 1968 to 1970 in Western painting and was mentored by pioneer artist See Hiang To who nurtured his passion in Chinese brush painting, calligraphy and seal carving. Tan went on to co-found Siaw-Tao Chinese Seal-Carving, Calligraphy & Painting Society and also taught at NAFA for over three decades. In 2001, he was awarded the Cultural Medallion for his outstanding achievements and contribution to the arts.

Deepavali - Old Man is a prime example of one of Tan's rare skills in fusing a hardy realism with Chinese ink deployment of brushstrokes and line in Western 3D space. This kind of realism is a contemporary departure of expression from that experienced in conventional Chinese art history (Social Realism) as invoked in Communist China. Realism from the Post-Cultural Revolution and the concurrent developments of Chinese art, followed an avant-grade approach that acknowledged 'life' experiences of the artist and a reflection or representation of his environment and his community. The man also with the kandil/Qandeel (Indian Diwali lanterns) demonstrates a locality of characterisation, but also an ethnic disposition far from the traditional Asian Chinese face and demeanour. The context can also be extended to the Nanyang theme, where Chinese artists interpret the vision and experience of Nanyang, in Nanyang, through a practicing of their conventional mediums and often adjust and adapt the style towards a fresh perspective you would not otherwise see on the mainland or elsewhere.

Singapore born Thomas Yeo is renowned for his acrylic abstract and gouache landscapes. Trained in fine art at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Yeo was mentored by pioneer artist Cheong Soo Pieng. Upon graduation in 1960, he furthered his formal education at Chelsea School of Art and Hammersmith College of Art and Architecture in London. During his time in the UK, Yeo experimented with various techniques and artistic mediums in his creative process. This is evident for instance, in the use of mixed media collages in his early abstract works. Yeo's body of works holds an important place in the development and history of modern art in Singapore.

Black Pillow represents an episode of a recurring dream that Yeo. In his dream, the journey begins at a familiar place in a village he has been before. Numerous stalls line the pathway and people appear to be celebrating an occasion. Each time he tries starts to look for transport to return home, he would always be unable find it any, and would be left stranded. Ever since he painted Black Pillow, he no longer dreams of the village.

Lim Yew Kuan was born in Xiamen in 1928, he was a distinguished alumnus, artist and educator who had dedicated more than 3 decades to nurturing and transforming the arts in Singapore. He served as NAFA’s second principal from 1963 to 1979, succeeding his father Lim Hak Tai. Lim trained at NAFA and graduated in Western Art in 1950. From 1958 to 1962, Lim went to Chelsea School of Art, London to study design and printmaking. His talent and artistic achievements were recognised in being awarded the Cultural Medallion, Singapore’s highest accolade for artistic excellence and contribution to the visual arts. The artist passed away in May 2021.

Low Tide is an early work by Lim Yew Kuan. It departs from the academic rigour of figures and structural compositions. Lim was an avid traveller who enjoyed the convention of painting from life. The painting shows a strong command of the oil medium. The perspective of the scene is well balanced, receding with clarity and transparency of the ‘low tide’ mentioned in the title. Water in bodies of the ocean tends to reflect the environment. Depending on the time of the month, low tide usually occurs early in the morning and late at night; though low tide can also occur in the evenings, near the end of the month. This appears to be an evening scene, given the solo figure carrying a load probably disembarking from his boat and returning to shore. The monochromatic grey-greens are luminous layers of silken tones. Lim Yew Kuan’s depiction of the glow from the sky cascades into the transparency of the water, which is not crystal clear but instead contains elements of reflection from the surrounding scenery.

Born in 1963 in Singapore, artist Seah Kam Chuan is an accomplished watercolorist, illustrator and educator. He trained at NAFA between 1978 to 1985 and obtained two diplomas in graphic design and applied arts. He also served as the President of Singapore Watercolour Society (SWS) from 2000-2006 and remained as advisor from 2007-2018.

The shophouses that line the Singapore River juxtapose the modern skyscrapers in the skyline. Reflection, Singapore River demonstrates Seah’s excellent control and technique by his representation of the moving, reflective surface of the water, the most challenging of watercolouring skills.

Baet Yeok Kuan graduated with a Diploma in Fine Art (Painting), NAFA in 1987 and a Master in Fine Art (Sculpture), University of Central England, Birmingham in 1992. He was awarded the Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council in 1995 for his outstanding achievement and contribution in visual arts. A practicing artist and teacher, Baet has been a lecturer at NAFA since 1993.

Red Line, 2018 was inspired by his personal collection of favourite childhood objects. The work depicts a bold red line threading across an old 1-cent coin featuring Malaya King George VI minted during World War II (1939 to 1945). Red is regarded as an auspicious colour in Eastern culture, however, this red line is broken. Through a combination of cultural references and enigmatic images such as an old coin, the artist prefers to allow the audience to make the connection for themselves, and to interpret what they see through their own cultural lens.

Memories #01, 02, 03 is a compelling narrative that depicts the journey of the migrant Chinese's journey to Nanyang in 3 panels. The png kueh (Chinese glutinous rice cake shaped like a peach) is central in his story, both as a symbol and metaphor referring to the emigre Chinese who took the journey from homeland China to the Southern Seas or Nanyang, bringing with them, the culture and practices of the people to this part of the world. In its final panel, Lim resolves it by suggesting a successful assimilation to local surrounds. By becoming ""localised"", the humble and distinctive Chinese snack that is associated with Teochew people has become accepted as a symbol of what it means to be a Chinese Singaporean.

Ho Seok Kee is a Singaporean artist and NAFA alumna, she graduated with Diploma in Fine Art with Distinction in 2016 and Bachelor in Fine Art (First Class) from NAFA-University of Loughborough in 2018. She was named Best Graduate, Killiney Art Prize Top Achiever and won the Silver Award (Established Artist) in the 37th UOB Painting of the Year Competition in 2018. As an interdisciplinary artist, Ho keenly experiments with ideas and materials in her work.

In All Flowers Bloom, Ho departs from traditional rice paper and ink that marked her academic forays at NAFA. Here she revisits the dotting technique by the Song dynasty painter, poet and calligrapher, Mi Fu. Against a backdrop of computer aided technology to visibly re-imagine imagery, this work invokes the wisdom of Chairman Mao's 百花齊放，百家爭鳴. Appropriately echoing the expansion of artistic and intellectual thinking towards creative outcomes as well as to the service of the community, this painting conveys something of Kee's aspirations toward diligently pursuing her art and renewing her practice through research and innovation. The result is a surreal but significant layering of both Chinese ink principles and Western perspectival painting.

Ho Seok Kee is a Singaporean artist and NAFA alumna who graduated with a Diploma in Fine Art with Distinction in 2016 and a Bachelor’s in Fine Art (First Class) from NAFA/ University Loughborough in 2018. She was named Best Graduate, Killiney Art Prize Top Achiever, and awarded the Silver Award in the 37th UOB Painting of the Year Competition. As an interdisciplinary artist, Ho keenly experiments with ideas and materials in her work.

Thousands of Words plays with muted palette and dense composition of tightly packed dots broken by splashes of colour. The work conveys the artist’s struggle at a time when artmaking was disrupted during the pandemic. Acknowledging the unpredictability of life and its turning points, she synthesised traditional Chinese ink techniques with Western perspectives, and channelled her new- found knowledge in working with computer algorithms to produce creative outcomes. The work is complex and layered, like the Chinese idiom千言万语to mean, having many things to say; is about the unspoken, the multitude of emotions that can be understood, where a picture is worth a thousand words.

Wonder in Passage is a collaborative work done by Antonius, Cynthis Renata and Grace Angel. It comes in a series of six portraying their five-day journey to Yogyakarta as the main concept of the work.

By exploring the use of colours, shapes and textures, they convey the unexpressed thoughts and emotions through abstract expressionist style. For what Frank Stella has said, ""what you see is what you see"", anything beyond this point is up to the audience's interpretation.

Trouble in Paradise is marked for 2017, created at a time around the death of the monarch of Thailand. The turmoil and engagements that followed stirred many transformations that are captured critically in this video. The work of Taiki Sakpisit has a strong structuralist frame built around a specifically Thai syntax of narrating experiences. There is a covert lilt enmeshed in sounds and spiritual consonance that create an atmospheric motion picture. The story conveyed is not logical but one that corresponds to specific emotions, resistance, courage and transcendence. Video works can be regarded as often beyond the realm of the emotive, for they create atmospheres in which we can emote ourselves or create experiences. However, Trouble in Paradise, like several of Taiki’s works offer powerful renderings that configure the Thai mindset, landscape and its imagination only by grazing the surface of all those things we recognise and find familiar, including and not limited to the supernatural and the faith in Buddhism and its philosophies.

This video is a perfect documentation of specific cultural, political and social episodes that together, cogently construct Thai experiences knit into the stories of Southeast Asia, past and present. It reflects strongly, how we can begin to evaluate and also continue to make art, from these challenging and profound quarries of time, of identities and of truths.

Taiki is a moving image artist working in Bangkok. His works explore the underlying tensions and conflicts, and the sense of anticipation in contemporary Thailand, through precise and sensorially overwhelming audio-visual assemblage using a wide range of sounds and images. His films produce heightened and uneasy modes of spectatorship that often relate to the tumultuous socio-political climate in Thailand. Sakpisit’s moving images and experimental shorts have been presented at numerous exhibitions and film festivals, including International Film Festival Rotterdam, Images Festival, Yebisu International Festival for Art, Les Rencontres Internationales, Dallas Contemporary and Kunstverein Gottingen. His previous work A Ripe Volcano (2011) has been screened internationally at more than 50 film festivals and museums, including National Gallery Singapore.

Koeh Sia Yong was born in 1938 and studied Western Painting at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, graduating in 1958. During his time at NAFA, he joined the now-defunct Equator Art Society, a group founded by artist Lim Yew Kuan that promoted social realism, drawing attention to the working class through their art. Koeh then went on to be an art editor for the art magazine under Sin Chew Jit Poh, and later in the 1980s, a graphic designer and political cartoonist for the Nanyang Business Newspaper. After over two decades in the advertising industry, Koeh decided to dedicate his time to art full-time.

Pura Tanah Lot is a highly revered temple in Bali, located on the western shores of

the Tabanan Regency, slightly northwest of Denpasar, the capital city. At high tide, this temple is overwhelmed by the water and unreachable, leaving only the high point of the land where the temple is perched.

The pilgrimage to Tanah Lot is a ritualistic movement, barefoot at low tide, meandering on the stones towards the rock, where devotees ascend an aspiral towards the top of the pura. At low tide, the waves hit the surf with great force, yielding a white froth that seems to invoke the Hindu myth of how the churning of the ocean of milk brought forth apsaras (sea nymphs) in the sea foam as well as the coveted amrita or elixir of life.

These pristine white daubs are carved into the painting, and the brightness is reflected in the light coming from behind the layer of clouds above. Everything is heightened, with the heavenly blue and violet tones, jewel like and contrasted with the earthy rocks and vital profile of the island and the sandbank. The green in the trees and shrubs are mirrored in the water, not a true green but that tinged with a sunburnt yellow. The entire scene is a beautiful balance of robust and pulsating colour.

The life of Bali is the life on earth, and life of Bali is the vision of paradise. It is an exceptional oil painting, handled very well without muddying of pigment, maintaining strong translucency and luminescence. This work though conventional and regarded as traditional is a valuable piece not only for its technical prowess, but for the scenery of one of the most famous in Southeast Asia, the destination of devotees, pilgrims and tourists alike, from the West and from the East.

Pura Tanah Lot is a highly revered temple in Bali, located on the western shores of the Tabanan Regency, slightly northwest of Denpasar, the capital city. At high tide, this temple is overwhelmed by the water and unreachable, leaving only the high point of the land where the temple is perched. The pilgrimage to Tanah Lot is a ritualistic movement, barefoot a low tide, meandering on the stones towards the rock, where devotees ascend an aspiral towards the top of the pura. At low tide, the waves hit the surf with great force, yielding a white froth that seems to invoke the Hindu myth of how the churning of the ocean of milk brought forth apsaras (sea nymphs) in the sea foam as well as the coveted amrita or elixir of life. These pristine white daubs are carved into the painting, and the brightness is reflected in the light coming from behind the layer of clouds above. Everything is heightened, with the heavenly blue and violet tones, jewel like and contrasted with the earthy rocks and vital profile of the island and the sandbank. The green in the trees and shrubs are mirrored in the water, not a true green but that tinged with a sunburnt yellow. The entire scene is a beautiful balance of robust and pulsating colour. The life of Bali is the life on earth, and life of Bali is the vision of paradise. It is an exceptional oil painting, handled very well without muddying of pigment, maintaining strong translucency and luminescence. This work though conventional and regarded as traditional is a valuable piece not only for its technical prowess, but for the scenery of one of the most famous in Southeast Asia, the destination of devotees, pilgrims and tourists alike, from the West and from the East.

Ho prefers painting en plein air, as it allows him to fully engage all his senses when he studies the scene before him. Ho is well-read, well-travelled, and has been to many parts of the world to work and paint. His sketches reflect a worldly awareness of culture, history and ideas, his pastels and pen sketches are decisive and clean, recording moments and sentiments. His acrylic and oil works are bold and bright, expertly capturing the light characteristics of the tropics.

The old fort of Jaisalmer and nearby Café Kaku in the ancient city stands at the crossroads of important trade routes. The city is located close to the Pakistan border, guarding western Rajasthan’s frontier. The massive Jaisalmer Fort’s yellow sandstone architecture is a landmark and an enthralling sight. Tented stalls in the foreground are a hive of activity, with people, cars, and animals walking freely and going about their day.

Fort Canning Hill, formerly known as Bukit Larangan (Forbidden Hill in Malay) was the royal palace of the Malay Kings in the 14th Century, and after the British arrived in 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles built his residence there and the hill became known as the Government Hill, an important communications centre for the British. In 1860, the hill took on a military role and was renamed Fort Canning after the governor’s residence was demolished and converted into a fort with an arms store, barracks, underground bunker and hospital. The fort never saw battle and most of it was demolished in 1926 to make way for a service reservoir. The Fort Gate that stands today is a fragment of the fortress walls that used to surround the summit of the hill, which stand testament to the historical landscape of the past.

The poignant scene of two human figures walking toward the iconic gate amidst lush greenery and rays of sunlight reflected on the walkway. The scene stirs memories and sentiments of the generation of his time, those would remember the place for its dark past, an era of peace that he and his generation have inherited and are sworn to protect, to eventually pass the reins to the young who would be the future.

Ma Jia Village (马家庄) is a scenic village known for its traditional courtyard houses, it is located in Fengshu Village, Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan. It is also the ancestral hometown of the former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, a place that gained attention during his office and became a tourist attraction overnight. The majestic garden shrubs that form the words 马家庄 lies in front of the Majiazu Temple (Ma Family ancestral hall) greeting visitors from afar. The signage is however not the main focus, but instead, Ho draws our attention to the verdant panorama of endless green softly dotted with wildflowers and a winding path that would give an old fashioned charm to the idyllic countryside.

Known to inject new life into traditional Chinese painting by challenging inherited norms yet retaining the essence of Chinese brushwork, Shantou-born Deng Qichang, was trained at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, specialising in Chinese ink painting. Under the tutelage of Cultural Medallion and NAFA teacher, Wee Beng Chong and Tan Kee Sek, Deng graduated in 2013.

Dreamland Series was created before he graduated from the Academy. Through this series, Deng attempts to demonstrate the versatility of the art form by exploring composition, colour and perspective in his works. This enabled him to bring out new visual ideas on the painted surface. While conventional landscape Chinese ink paintings tend to feature sceneries such as mountains and lakes that are seemingly out-of-touch with the contemporary city dweller, Dreamland Series departs from these conventions through the fusion of city life and nature, bridging modernity and tradition. The element of the city becomes the centrepiece and adds a touch of futurism and fantasy to Deng’s landscapes, appealing to the younger generation and relevance in today’s contemporary society.

Jeremy Sharma is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice encompasses painting, video, photography, drawing and installation. He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Fine Art from the Lasalle College of the Arts and teaches at his alma mater. Sharma’s work often deals with the ontology of things and his practice reflects his observations and artistic sensibilities as he unravels the underlying relationships between objects, materials, media and technology. His more recent forays and experiments look into scenes and places and work with voice, light, atmosphere, film, music, movement and architecture.

Futuruin offers tactile and sensory layers of colours and image, it has a starkness and intensity revealing itself as a kind of landscape, formed intentionally by paint and scrape marks that are intricate and textured but seem unfinished and open-ended. Shoe polish is a synthetic material that seems out of place as material on a canvas, yet it is a material that is accessible and ordinary. In an instinctive act of painting that starts from a point of practicality, the material and image becomes an expression of the artist’s inner consciousness. By varying the layers of paints to achieve certain “lightness”; achieving it comes with the “weight” of applying more layers, building an interesting case study between the paint, materiality and the surface.

Supachai Areerungruang was born in Thailand in 1975. He holds a Bachelor in Fine Arts from Poh-Chang Academy of Arts and Masters in Fine Art in History of Architecture from Silpakorn University, Bangkok before graduating from Chulalongkorn University with a Doctorate of Fine and Applied Arts.

Under Top Boot was featured in Areerungruang's solo exhibition “Sound of Silence in Thailand” at NAFA in 2019 in conjunction with NAFA’s inaugural SEA Art Forum. The work was one of the 120 ink on paper drawings and paintings that was shown. Areerungruang 's exceptional drawing skills and his practice represents the regional fray, social, political and cultural thoughts and ideas threading through the daily life and landscape of both the ordinary citizen and the engaged artist of several generations.

Under Top Boot is an example of his reflections on Thailand’s military coup since 2014 and the suppression freedom of thought and speech under this dictator regime. The boots represent the military and below, the people under them. The planned succession of the military leader to govern the country as the prime minister in the 2019 elections further evoke feelings, that may not be voiced.

Boo Sze Yang is a Singaporean artist who is recognized locally and internationally for his artistic achievements and contribution to art education. He was awarded the NAFA’s Distinguished Alumni Medal in 2017 and was recipient of prestigious art prizes including the Asian Artist Fellowship Award, Philip-Morris ASEAN Art Award and UOB Painting of the Year Competition. Boo remains actively involved in his practice and continues to mentor young artists at the Academy.

In Between Places #4 conjures an imagined land, tranquil mountains and rivers are engulfed by urban development, represented by scaffolds, platforms and steel beams that is a personal commentary that reflect on the modern and the natural world. Both spaces rely on and inform each other, their interdependence also references the idea of the shared roots between Western and Chinese landscape painting approaches born from different cultures and a product of his experimentation and rationalization of the two different worlds. The technique of pushing and pulling wet paint on canvas is also a departure from Boo’s more direct and gestural approach in his earlier works (Angkor Wat, Malls and Cathedrals series).

Malaysian born artist Choy Chun Wei trained at the Central St Martin's College in London and graduated with an honours degree in Graphic Design in 1998. In 2016 he graduated with a Master of Arts (Visual Arts) from the Universiti Malaya.

Desiring Green Pasture is one of the series of works that were shown in his 2021 exhibition “Encountering Mass Man” that took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The green expanse on the canvas is dotted with blue ovals over a careful layer of colours, words, numbers and logos that reference his memories of rural Taiping, Perak where he lived in his youth, before he moved to Kuala Lumpur to study and live. An established artist in the Malaysian art scene, Choy’s approach in his practice is methodical and purposeful in creating his own pictorial language and meaning-making. Using collage as a methodology, Choy’s choice of materials and visual correlations between words, textures, colours and materials allow viewers to project their own narratives and anecdotes within a dense and intricate collage work. The collage is an excellent example of contextual and conceptual work that reflects a sensibility and strong balance of aesthetics, visual narrative in the genre of abstract art.

Nyan Soe was born in Myanmar in 1987. He obtained a Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) with Honours from the University of East Yangon, Myanmar in 2007 and subsequently graduated with a Diploma in Fine Art (Sculpture) from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 2013.

Ten Years is a reflection of Nyan Soe's ten years in Singapore.

The inscriptions on Ten Years (First Edition) read

十年外面的世界 Ten years away from home

茫然十年 A time of uncertainty

酸甜苦辣又十年 A decade of experiencing the good, the bad and the ugly

花开花落又十年 Watching the ebb and flow of the seasons

十年磨一剑 Ten years to sharpen a blade

十年一觉星洲梦 Awakening from a decade-long dream

十年在异乡十年为异客 Contemplations of a visitor in a foreign land

江湖夜雨十年灯 Nocturnal reflections of the monsoon rains

十年茫然踏星洲十年梦醒归故里 Home coming after a decade of adventures in Singapore

感恩十年 Thank you for a fruitful decade

Inscription on left corner : 汉裕 Han Yu

Ten Years is a reflection of Nyan Soe's ten years in Singapore.

The inscriptions on Ten Years (First Edition) read

十年外面的世界 Ten years away from home

茫然十年 A time of uncertainty

酸甜苦辣又十年 A decade of experiencing the good, the bad and the ugly

花开花落又十年 Watching the ebb and flow of the seasons

十年磨一剑 Ten years to sharpen a blade

十年一觉星洲梦 Awakening from a decade-long dream

十年在异乡十年为异客 Contemplations of a visitor in a foreign land

江湖夜雨十年灯 Nocturnal reflections of the monsoon rains

十年茫然踏星洲十年梦醒归故里 Home coming after a decade of adventures in Singapore

感恩十年 Thank you for a fruitful decade

Inscription on left corner : 汉裕 Han Yu

NAFA alumnus Ian Woo is a prominent Singaporean artist, musician and academic at Lasalle College of the Arts. His works are recognized by major art prizes and competitions including Sovereign Asian Art Prize, ASEAN Art Awards and UOB Painting of the Year Competition. Woo graduated with Diploma in Fine Art (Painting) in NAFA in 1991. He went to study in the UK, graduating with Bachelor of Fine Art, Painting from Kent Institute of Art and Design, Canterbury (1994) and Master of Art in European Fine Art, Painting from Winchester School of Art (1995). He subsequently obtained his Doctor of Fine Art from RMIT, Melbourne, Australia in 2006.

Woo employs patterns, lines, shapes and colours freely in his works, they have a poetical quality that incites curiosity and the imagination of the mind. Their visual qualities are playful and elusive, reflecting the artist’s personality and philosophical contemplations.

Tracing Woo’s thoughts on questions about what defines reality and the essence of life, The Real Thing articulates these profound thoughts through layers of paint that seem to unravel in, possibly to reveal a truth within if one looked inward enough. In The Loop From the Beginning of Time, he used the colour black to convey idea of painting as a process. Black, like the beginning of the world or the beginning of time; from nothingness to its present.

The two works are excellent examples of abstract art as a genre and are reflective of the creative processes of an artist who is an established painter and art educator of the region.

Moonlight . City . Dream is inspired from a song titled “Moonlight in the City” by Xu Meijing (Mavis Hee). This artwork tells the story of Nyan Soe's dreams when he first came to Singapore a decade ago. The concrete jungle is lit up by streetlights, whereas in his hometown, the moonlight offers a soft glow in the night. He expresses the nostalgia of home and ponders on his time here in Singapore, as he wonders where the lights are leading him to, and if it is the streetlight or the moonlight that is guiding him in the dark.