To Unfold with Time: New Watercolour Works by Tam Kwan Yuen showcases over 30 new watercolour paintings by Kwan Yuen. The exhibition officially opens on 02 March, Saturday, 3 – 5pm with the artist in attendance.
Amongst the exhibition highlights is Lights of Marina Bay, a large-scale urban night scene measuring 113 x 200 cm, through which he attempts to describe the visual and physical experience of observing the breathtaking skyline along the Singapore River at night. The urban architecture and captivating night lights in Singapore are also explored in contrast to night scenes from Tokyo. The dense urban labyrinths unfolding along the streets of Shibuya and Shinjuku, for instance, reveal distinct modernist architectural designs and an alluring night bustle characterised by lightboxes, neon signboards and seas of pedestrians.
The Haussmann style architecture of Paris and Dutch Baroque buildings of Amsterdam offer another perspective with regards to the variety of landscapes seen throughout the artist’s travel across Europe. The rural scenes he captured of India and Morocco, on the other hand, emphasises on an explosion of colours in a context shaped by warm sunlight, beautiful sandstones, colourful costumes and lively human interactions.
Kwan Yuen’s body of watercolour work captures the spatial-temporal rhythm of modern city life. His composition leads the viewer’s eye to rove with curiosity along ubiquitous neon signs, larger-than-life billboards, winding city streets and glitzy interiors. At times, he juxtaposes scenes of cosmopolitan city culture with close-up vignettes of the everyday working man, with the latter espousing a more intimate dimension on the human subjects and their surroundings.
As shared by Kwan Yuen in earnestness:
“The richness of the different styles of urban landscapes are expounded through the combined use of watercolour, watercolour pencils and gouache, a unique painting style which I’ve invented a few years back. I hope to create lasting memories of the places I’ve visited in the minds of the viewers and myself, through the language of visual art.”
Venue: AC43 Gallery, 76 Bras Basah Road, #01-01 Carlton Hotel, Singapore 189558
When: 2 - 17 Mar 2024, 12noon - 7pm
By: AC43 Gallery
