"l started with traditional batik. But
I realised that to repeat kampung motifs is not to reflect modern Singapore. I did'nt want to be an imitator, I switched to abstract batik art and it became an adverture. I started using blobs of tapioca flour instead of wax to get heavier texture. Or I would drip dyes on the fabric. But I haven't chucked my janting
and other traditional tools.
"When I started the Wandering series, I was searching for an identity. Planes of colour burst out from the centre of many paintings like a kind of struggle and release. But I wasn't sure if my abstract batik would be accepted. I felt like a stranger. The series reflected my early uncetainty. I did several Wandering series. But from time to time I broke away with series like Odyssey and Opera. The latter had elements of Japanese kabuki and the Chinese wayang I watched as a child in Siglap. I didn't want to repeat ideas from the Wandering series but I can't get rid of them 100 per cent. It's obsessive.

"I am more at peace now, more confident. It shows in my colours - they are more vibrant and I use a lot of dynamic, complimentary greens and reds."

View artist's list


 


Odyssey A7/90

Odyssey A9/90

Drama Series A, 1993

Unspoken Dialogue, 2000

Wander Series 8/79

Unspoken Dialogue A1