In one scene, a worker weighs a bag of of small goods — it could be anything from candy to nuts to dried grains — as a customer looks on, brightly colored bottles and boxes and supplies lining the shelves in the background. The viewer watches this everyday scene as if it is a scene in a book or movie, colorful and detailed, but ordinary.
The next scene is a little more fantastical. A rock face decorated with multi-colored polygons looms over a cityscape, a trio of trees perched on top. The buildings towering in the city are colorful, too, inundated with green spaces and a vibrant ferris wheel.
The third scene is perhaps the most surreal of all — a portrait of a girl with her hair in pigtails, a gas mask obscuring her face. She stands amid a clash of patterns and colors, all of which are rendered in painstaking embroidery — a black and white checkered floor, polka dots in coral on a peach wall, two olive green plant leaves extending outward, and a strange doorway featuring green and gray clouds and a fuchsia ground. She gazes at the visitor expressionless — or, if she does have an expression, it is hidden by her mask.
The last scene is a deconstructed view of a city, the different facades of different buildings regularly found there, including government buildings, religious monuments, parks, and other places. However, instead of forming a traditional city landscape, each item is laid out like a pattern on a wallpaper, abstracting the view of the city.
All four scenes can be found at a new exhibition celebrating illustrators at a hotel art space in Singapore. All of the artists use either pen and ink or needle and thread to illustrate everyday life in Singapore. Whether the illustrations deal in ordinary interactions or widespread questionings of identity, each artist has poured intricate details in their illustrations, showing visitors just how gorgeous illustrations can be. While several of the illustrators on display in the exhibit have worked with prominent companies headquartered in Singapore on multiple campaigns, they agree that illustration is not generally accepted as fine art. They’re hoping that the new exhibit will help visitors understand that illustration is just another form of fine art rather than something different entirely.
Are you interested in trying your hand at illustration? Are you always doodling in the margins of your notebooks and textbooks? Visit SGArtClass.com today to explore all the different art classes you can take to help boost your skills and discover new interests. Try everything from figure drawing to comic drawing, fashion drawing to sketching. An expert teacher will work closely with you to help you build your illustration skills in the medium of your choice — from charcoal or pencil to pens and ink. SGArtClass.com will help you realize your illustration dreams.
To learn more about Wee’s vibrant illustrations and explorations of the day-to-day life and culture in Singapore, go to http://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/arts/realities-life-dark-and-past-singapore.