“Welcome to the jungle we’ve got fun and games.” This is the opening line of Guns and Roses’ song Welcome to the Jungle. In reality, it is Man who is having the fun and the animals are the game. Yes, a lot has been done to create awareness of the critical state of wildlife all over the world. But according to an article by the World Wide Fund for Nature:

“The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.”

This clearly indicates how humans have adversely impacted the loss of wildlife by a large magnitude. Habitat destruction and wildlife trade are mainly to blame for population decline and extinction in species.

Melissa Teo, Sumatran Tiger 2018 acrylic on canvas diptych 61cm x 46cm

Saddened by the grim news, artist Melissa Teo decided to paint endangered wildlife largely originating from the region. In a series where expressionism meets pop art, her powerful renditions contain layers of unforgiving bold colours, loose brush strokes and textural treatment which show the vitality of animals so easily extinguished by Man. The fluid and natural movement evident intentionally stirs up strong emotions – emotions which stress the beauty of wildlife and the freedom it deserves.

Melissa Teo, Pangolin 2018 acrylic on canvas 46cm x 36cm

Melissa Teo is a versatile artist, illustrator and graphic designer with a broad range of skill sets utilizing a wide range of media. She is a member of the Singapore Art Society and actively participates in the society’s group exhibitions. She held her first solo exhibition As If We Never Said Goodbye in 2016, and has also participated in several Affordable Art Fairs and Art Apart Fairs with Utterly Art in Singapore.

Opening: Thursday, 18 October, 7pm

Venue: Utterly Art Exhibition Space, 20B Mosque Street (Level 3), Singapore 059500

Hours: By appointments, Tel: 94872006 or 62262605 (Keng Hock)