My artwork is inspired by the Orchestra in Equator Art Society by Koeh Sia Yong. Koeh Sia Yong is a second-generation Singaporean. Born in 1938, he has dedicated over 50 years to his artistic career. He studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), a prestigious institution in Singapore that continues to play a vital role in the local art scene. This artwork was created in 2017 and was inspired by the Equator art society, founded to promote local artists.
This painting is of a student orchestra playing music in the foreground. In the background, there is a Chinese flag and soldiers fighting. This is set during the Malaysian emergency. I was drawn to this painting as it represents a sense of peace (the music) during the chaotic scene outside (the soldiers). I also play the piano and enjoy playing and listening to music.
I chose the number 1956 as that was when the Equator Art Society was founded, as an artists' group that promoted the social realist art style in Singapore. This movement impacted Koeh Sia Yong’s artwork style greatly and forever changed the local art styles and opinions in Singapore. I also wrote 1956 in Hindi to represent my culture. This is important to me as I have lived in Singapore my entire life and I am very interested in art.
I used various, unconventional tools to create different effects in my artwork. I used paint brushes to create the yellow and green streaks in the background. I used a large dry brush to create the stippling at the bottom and to create the swirl at the top. For all of these elements, I first used a middle tone as a base. After that dried, I added a little bit of black to shade the original colour in order to create depth. I repeated the process with white for added detail. I used circular containers to stamp the circles in the middle of the composition. I also used my fingers to splatter paint onto the painting to finish.