[SMU arty farty]
I always relish the thought of taking a trip up to the Professor's offices for consultation.

It is therapeutic because in some of the schools in SMU it's cheery due to the colourful artworks. Just like how Philippine-American painter Pacita Abad's works adorn the offices of the School of Economics.



I even went upclose with Simba. He is a very sociable, confident and warm-hearted lion with a big heart. The lion was painted by Pacita in February 2004 in an event titled SingArt, "A Brush with Lions" along with 59 other SingArtists.

"I really enjoyed painting Simba and transforming him from a white piece of plexiglass into a colorful lion. One of my greatest pleasures painting Simba was my use of color. I believe that colors influence our lives in both very subtle and intense ways. For Simba, I used warm colors to reflect the African environment where he comes from. I hope that Simba’s colors inspire people to loosen up, have more fun and enjoy life", says Pacita on her website.



Once you exit from the lift into the fourth storey, you are greeted by two photos of the Alkaff bridge - one taken at night and the other in the day.



The artwork on the bridge was also created by Pacita. A strong believer of public art, she hopes to bring art into the lives of Singaporeans everyday.



Along the corridor, there is painiting after painting. It would take a lot of time to slowly admire and look at every single piece. Shapes and colours take their form in several of the artworks.



Pacita has had numerous solo exhibitions at museums and galleries in the U.S, Asia, Africa, and Latin America and has participated in more than 50 group and travelling exhibitions throughout the world.

Her works can be found in public, corporate and private art collections in over 40 countries.

You can read more about the artist at www.pacitaabad.com