My first solo exhibition in Singapore is a collection of a serene mix-media landscape painting, still life painting, sculpture of a scholar’s rocks made with financial newspaper on 3d printed clouds and windows built with bamboo and newspaper. Together they refer to a Chinese scholar’s garden as a metaphor of a meditative sanctuary where harmony with nature intertwines with humanity's aspirations.
I continue to expand on unorthodox techniques and processes to unveil the paradoxes within the 'Paradise Found' narrative, where I delve into the profound interplay between 'Paradise Found' and the dark undercurrents of colonisation. ‘Paradise Found’ was often used as a tool to ‘Civilise primitives’, a justification for colonial expansion, and the reality was much more complex and often devastating for indigenous populations. The term ‘Paradise Found’ is often associated with European colonial perspectives, where the allure of discovery justifies a divine right to cultivate and civilise perceived untouched and abundant paradises.
I weave together the notion of a Chinese scholar’s garden with the shadowed narratives of history, inviting viewers on a contemplative journey pivoted on histories written by victors. The oscillation between an instructed history and elevating those that are effectively hidden, parallels with the rise and fall of civilisations.
Paintings with vivid blooms and landscapes in flux are juxtaposed with imagery from scroll paintings of the 40 views of Yuanmingyuan otherwise known as the Old Summer Palace in Beijing that was looted and burnt down by the British and French during the 2nd Opium war. The flower paintings refer to the Dutch Golden Age still life paintings and the first recorded economic collapse called Tulipmania. It’s also considered to be the birth of Modern Capitalism with the rise of the East India Trade company that helped spearhead colonisation, militarised trade routes and slavery. As we traverse this visual terrain, the Chinese scholar’s garden emerges as both a resplendent Eden and a poignant symbol of loss, echoing intertwined tales of home, paradise and conquest.
My artwork is a contemplation of complexities, inviting us to reflect on the layers that define our perceptions of paradise and the legacies of colonisation. I encourage the questioning of histories written by victors and to empathise - a transformative experience that propels us towards a deeper understanding of our shared human story.