A Garden City, or a city in a garden? Either way, Singapore is a home to many — some of us for one, and the rows of prismatic florals gracing this city for another. If you (like us) are feeling a touch more romantic with the air from the holiday season, perhaps a stroll down rows of picturesque blooms is just the right fit for you.
Dao by Dorsett AMTD Singapore, together with local visual art management Wasuka Art, has curated a garden unlike any other one would stumble upon. Featuring eight artists of different flairs, the exhibited garden named Fleurism explores the contemporary language of flowers, while traversing the growth of people through the transformation of floras.
Notable artists one may expect to see include William Sim, the author of the famed adult colouring book, “Colouring the Lion City”. With his signature watercolour artistry, Sim depicts the symbiotic relationship of Man and nature through the studies of local plants; each is key to the other’s survival, and what is a world with no man nor green? Such thoughts perhaps intrigued the artist, as what one may interpret from his paintings.
Another Singaporean artist featured is Kin, whose signature Japanese illustrative style brings to life the city’s port and green status. Using the motif of origami boats inspired from traditional bumboats and the national flower Vanda Miss Joaquim, the paintings swim through the course of one’s life and growth in a society that bustles with life and history.
Gabby Malpas on the other hand, explores her identity and heritage through her watercolour blurs of Peranakan culture. A Chinese-born New Zealand artist, Malpas explores her multifaceted self through her exquisite works built upon mix-culture influences.
Other artists that feature their works in Fleurism include Ekosaurio, a Puerto Rican artist who celebrates floras through works bursting with colours; Koh Tien Gui, an artist who uses crayon to depict playful renditions of life; Cheryl Ma, a caricaturist that puts a fresh lens on nature and bugs; Abdul Aziz Agil, a multi-medium artist exploring nature through photography, ceramics and even silkscreen painting; lastly, Nicole Duffell, whose works of digital drawings will grace the exhibition.
Be it flowers or man, mediums or textural journeys, Fleurism is a botanical nook that promises an insightful yet pleasing journey of exploring one’s self through the delicate speech of blooms. It celebrates life at its core and reminds us that perhaps, we are often so caught up with our life that we may have missed the simple beauty blossoming around us.
Dao by Dorsett AMTD is located at 6 Shenton Way, OUE Downtown 1, #07-01 OUE Downtown 1, Downtown 2, S068809.
The exhibition is open to the public, and will run until the end of the year. The artworks are available to purchase.
