OCBC, Singapore (新加坡华侨银行), 1989, Oil on Canvas, 59.5 x 70 cm

Artwork Highlight

Koeh Sia Yong evokes nostalgia in this picturesque painting of the Singapore River. Shophouses squeeze together in a neat line along the riverbanks, an image of Clarke Quay from the past. The artist’s strong composition skills are demonstrated with the placement of a towering skyscraper in the centre of the painting, leading the eye directly from the lazily chugging boat to a symbol of Singapore’s modernisation. In this mesh of old and new markers of the past and present, a certain peacefulness is imbued into the painting.