[Ong Kim Seng's Heartlands]
I hope Ong Kim Seng's Heartlands exhibition will spark off a new art movement in Singapore. As the great majority of Singaporeans live in HDB estates, there should be a greater artistic exploration of the physical and social enivonment where we live, work, study, play, eat and shop. Old shophouses, Singapore River scenes, the outer islands - these are traditional themes.



Eric Khoo's '12 Storeys' told a dark story about the goings-on of daily life in the flats. Each window is an icon which opens up a world of hope and despair, love and hate. There is so much to describe, so many different angles from which to view the daily lives of Singaporeans. I sometimes wonder how Wu Guanzhong would have treated the HDB landscape.

I love Ong Kim Seng's water colour paintings. He has achieved international fame having won many prestigeous awards. His reflection of the past in the present in some of the paintings gives them a special quality. It is a story about the remarkable transformation of Singapore in one generation. His paintings of Hougang and Punggol must surely resonate with those who live there.





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