Maybe it wasn’t the most scenic location in all of Singapore. But a renowned and popular flea market, which closed a year ago, was a place where memories and livelihoods were made. Now, a group of art students have teamed up to feature works of art, as well as a documentary, that all pay tribute to the flea market that once was.
During the flea market’s final days, one of the students filmed the beautiful and chaotic scene. From stalls filled with anything a person could think of to buy to shoppers and vendors haggling over prices, the student captured the daily life of the flea market, including the people who sold their wares there and the individuals who came to find a good deal. Those intimate moments were compiled and edited into a half-hour documentary, which will be screened at the art exhibition.
The documentary won’t be the only work of art on display at the tribute show. A series of painted portraits, photographs, and mixed media art installations will also be featured.
The artist who painted the portrait did so of vendors who plied their items at the market. He visited the market in person and painted the portraits al fresco — right there, having the vendors sit at their stalls for the duration of the painting. This technique captured a special spirit of place and setting, keeping the subjects of the portrait in their home environment. Some of the portraits are heartbreaking, faces of the vendors lined in confusion and pain at having their market taken away.
It was this student who became inspired to organize an art show centered around the flea market’s history and closing. He noticed that he was not the only young person who visited the market in its last days. Other students and people his age also went, sketching, taking photos, and talking to the people who spent their time there. The student called the flea market a heritage site, and talked about the importance of preserving such places — even if they might not be the most aesthetically pleasing in the nation. The student added that, although he and his colleagues were young, they were interested in commemorating their heritage and remembering the stories that took place at the flea market.
Make your mark on the world around you by enrolling in an art class. Art is a wonderfully effective way to express your thoughts and feelings about change, history, and your own life. Visit SGArtClass.com today to browse the extensive list of art classes that are available for you to take. Whether you’d like to learn how to paint portraits or draw caricatures to capture the faces around you, or make abstract acrylic paintings to express your moods as they change throughout the week, there is sure to be a class that will appeal to your creative leanings.
To read more about the art exhibit and the kinds of works that will be featured, go to https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/exhibition-to-remember-once-buzzing-flea-market.