Asia In Focus: 7 Local Artists Take On Singapore's Most Beloved Icons

Harper’s BAZAAR Art looks inward as we celebrate our own creative hothouse. Meet seven of Singapore’s most talked-about artists as they give their own spin on the Lion City’s beloved icons, from food to national monuments.

This article originally appeared in the August 2016 issue of BAZAAR Art Singapore.

KUEH | Fashionable Kueh by Sokkuan Tye

“Kaya Butter Toast and Mian Jian Kueh (peanut pancake) are two of my favourite local snacks. We all know how they taste, but I was more interested in rediscovering their looks and forms by crafting these delicacies with thread and felt.”

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BAZAAR Art: Asia In Focus

NIGHT SAFARI | Pink Flamingos by Melisa Teo

“According to Gandhi, ‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.’ This makes the Night Safari iconic of Singapore.”

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BAZAAR Art: Asia In Focus

SINGAPORE BOTANIC GARDENS | The Last Macaque by Robert Zhao Renhui

“Monkeys disappeared from the Botanic Gardens at the turn of the ’80s. Nobody really remembers how they disappeared.”

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BAZAAR Art: Asia In Focus

SHOPHOUSES | South Bridge by Dyn

“I believe that nothing is permanent. This painting is me capturing a moment of impermanence.” 

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BAZAAR Art: Asia In Focus

CHEONGSAM | Celebration of Lifestyle by Justin Lee CK

“I borrowed the idea of Chinese paper cutting on the words ‘Double Happiness,’ transforming this concept into a marriage of times gone by with today’s love of technology, art and fashion.”

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BAZAAR Art: Asia In Focus

LITTLE RED DOT | Red Dot by Ceno2

“This is not just a dot. This is the Red Dot.”

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BAZAAR Art: Asia In Focus

MERLION | What The Merlion Sees by Jason Wee

“I imagine the Merlion looking out into open water, before the humans came, before settlements and cities. I imagine the Merlion bathed in the pink violet light of a sunset.”

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BAZAAR Art: Asia In Focus