When it comes to celebrating traditional ceremonies and events, Singapore’s Yeo Hung Teo is one of the better known artists. He spends the majority of his time constructing paper effigies to be burnt during funeral rites and holiday ceremonies around the year.
However, Yeo himself has admitted that his occupation is a dying art form. The majority of younger generations don’t keep with traditional celebrations like that of burning fake paper money, food, and figurines, and he is the last craftsman of his kind. Yeo has been making figures from paper for more than half a century, honing his art into something he is proud of. A single paper head can take him days to perfect, and then his assistants take over to make the rest of the body of the figure. His most popular figures are deities burnt during a special celebration meant to keep wandering spirits from causing people bad luck. Some of these paper figures can end up being meters tall.
Yeo continues to complete his intricate projects even as he understands that these customs are beginning to be dismissed as old and unnecessary. He even admits that it is hard for him, year after year, to see the paper sculptures he crafted so carefully burn up completely in a matter of a few minutes. But continuing to adhere to the old ways is important to him, so he continues making his figures — and will likely do so for the rest of his life. The practice continues to be important to several key groups in Singapore, such as fish merchants, who believe that burning the effigies will bring them luck and safety during the fishing season. Priests accompany the rituals, praying and issuing blessings before the sculptures and paper are burned. Other offerings of food, candy, and toys are also made to appease different types of spirits.
The sculptures themselves are breathtaking. Gods are rendered in painstaking detail, limbs outstretched, ceremonial armor colorfully depicted. Every piece is bright and highly flammable, right down to the artistic facial expression painted on the figure. Other figures, such as ingots, are lovingly decorated as if they were not about to be burned to a crisp, all of the artistry lost to tradition. Yeo both shapes and paints the sculptures himself.
Art can celebrate both the old and the new in life, and all it takes is attending a single art class to start appreciating it. Sign up for an art class in anything from 3-D sculpture to acrylic painting via SGArtClass.com. Expert teachers have experience in working with students of all artistic abilities to help you learn new techniques and develop new interests. Taking an art class with a group of friends or coworkers would also be an excellent and educational pastime. Visit SGArtClass.com today to get started on your creative journey.
To read more about the paper effigies and the practice of burning them, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/a-dying-art-a-labour-of-love.