pianomania

Wednesday, 24 June 2026

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION: POSTCARDS FROM MY DARLING LOVE by RIPPLE ROOT

Another afternoon wandering around Objectifs at 155 Middle Road and this was a most colourful and cheerful exhibition of art pieces I have encountered in a long while. Ripple Root is the nom de plume of Estella Ng (Ripple) and Liew Liquan (Root), a painting duo which has been in existence in the last 11 years. It's my loss not to have noticed their work previously; they can be found in hotels and various organisations.

Ripple Root's present exhibition is inspired by a 1965 black-and-white Malay movie called Cinta Kasih Sayang (My Darling Love), and their paintings are reimagined and idealised scenes from this film. It's a riot of colour that pleases my eyes, possibly inspired by paintings by French artists Henri Matisse and Andre Derain, and more recently Australia's Ken Done.

Meeting the duo in person was also a pleasant surprise. I suppose both of them have unified ideas of viewing things and painting techniques, which ensures a seamless uniformity in their modus operandi. Interestingly enough, they are not even a couple, as they have separate but hopefully understanding partners.

After this encounter, I'm certain to spot their work far more often now. That's called the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon.

POSTCARDS FROM MY DARLING LOVE

by RIPPLE ROOT

Objectifs

This exhibits runs till 28 June 2026

Postcards From My Darling Love - Objectifs

rippleroot

Tuesday, 23 June 2026

SUKA MAKAN: OVERBRØD @ ANCHORPOINT

Strange as it may seem, we've never ever been to Archorpoint. There's always a first time, and for this occasion, we decided to try the Scandinavian bistro called Overbrod. The name is probably Danish but it serves food that is probably common to Danes, Swedes and Norwegians, and possibly North Germans as well. Its proximity to Ikea Alexandra (just across the street) is possibly not coincidental as well.

It's a very small space, with an entrance just outside of the shopping centre. There's outdoor seating, and rather cramped indoor seating with direct view of its very small kitchen space, where three staff are never idle for a moment.

Oyster stew

Seafood stew

Half a dozen of meatballs!

We loved the stews - one with oysters and the other with seafood, eaten with bread. Very delicious and rather filling too. We also tried the meatballs, which are larger and juicier than the Ikea variety, served with a thick and savoury gravy (not cranberry!). It's likely we will be back whenever we feel like eating like a viking.

OVERBRØD

Anchorpoint

370 Alexander Road #01-14A

Singapore 159953

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PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION: TAN TECK HENG PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES @ LIM HAK TAI GALLERY, NAFA / Part 1

TRANSIENT JOURNEYS:

TAN TECK HENG'S

PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES

Lim Hak Tai Gallery,

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, besides being a great piece of music has also encouraged me to visit art galleries all over the world. However, I must admit to being somewhat indifferent to modern art in Singapore, but that had to change sometime. Nowadays, I have tried to open my eyes more, and to imbibe what I see and also to document them with my trusty camera. The result has been the recent additions to Pianomania of various art exhibitions in Singapore.

Whether I understand or enjoy modern art or not is not so important. What I hope to do is to record what I see, to be viewed again at a later date under different circumstances. Perspectives may change, and what I may have liked (or disliked) earlier may elicit a different response the next time I view it.

The artist himself was spotted in the background.

I had the fortune of visiting Singapore artist Tan Teck Heng's exhibition on two different days at the Lim Hak Tai Gallery of NAFA. Tan Teck Heng was born in 1958 and graduated from NAFA in 1981. What an interesting artist he is, with his paintings and sculptures (all crafted from wood) bring about various different responses in me. Art pieces are meant to challenge, to provoke and sometimes to disturb, and those responses were all present. Is he an impressionist, a surrealist, or does that even matter at all?

Dream of Home, 2019

Landscape Upon Her Body, 2018

Home Amongst the Lotus, 2019

All I can say is my mind is refreshed by asking "What is this all about?" For that matter, "What is life all about?" These questions should regularly be asked, and modern art is what should spark those questions and debates. In the meantime, just enjoy the colours and shades.

Orchard & Scream, 2025

My favourite painting:
River of Time, 2018

Echoes of Salvador Dali:
Rare Earth and Roses Communicate, 2025

Adam and Eve, 2024

Eve is listening to God
(or Satan?) via a smart-phone.

Philosopher, 2024 & Meet, 2022

Continued in Part 2:

pianomania: PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION: TAN TECK HENG'S PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES @ LIM HAK TAI GALLERY, NAFA / Part 2

Monday, 22 June 2026

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION: TAN TECK HENG PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES @ LIM HAK TAI GALLERY, NAFA / Part 2

TRANSIENT JOURNEYS

TAN TECK HENG

PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES

Lim Hak Tai Gallery

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Continued from Part 1:pianomania: PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION: TAN TECK HENG PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES @ LIM HAK TAI GALLERY, NAFA / Part 1

This was such an interesting free exhibition that I had to stop by a second time. That is what art does to you, and when you return to gawk and ponder, new reactions come forth. What looked weird at first take on new perspectives, and your views and opinions change yet again.