pianomania: 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.