Third Edition: 27 August – December 2016
Title: Uncover
Artist: Abigael Tay
What delights, can be found inside. Once the lid is lifted, there are endless ways to string the notes and the colours together.
About the Artist: Abigael Tay
Abigael Tay is the founder and Creative Director of Obllique, an interior design consultancy based in Singapore. Since its inception, Obllique has established itself as the go-to consultancy in commercial interior spaces, specializing in the design of F&B establishments and exhibitions across the region.
Passionate about design and architecture, Abigael majored in exhibition and stage design at Temasek Design School. She gained experience in designing and managing architectural projects during her stint with a boutique local architecture firm. Prior to founding Obllique, she worked in the operations department of the world’s leading exhibitions organiser where she honed her ability to fuse practicality and design for the international commercial exhibitions she managed.
Title: Oasis
Artist: Lee Wan Xiang
The drawings depict a paradise filled with life, where flora and fauna gather and make their home. A visual representation of what music does – drawing us to a place where life springs and thrives.
About the Artist: Lee Wan Xiang
Wan Xiang is an artist and illustrator. Her practice involves the act of drawing as a form of discovery, and a recording of what unfolds in a particular season.
Her influences include comics, the bible, found images, plants, animals, and photographs she takes. She is fascinated by bodies and their relation to other entities, as well as the inner states of our beings expressed through the various forms of drawing.
Wan Xiang’s works therefore tend to reflect her state of mind. Each drawing is an observation and learning of the self that she’s born with and is still growing into. More recently, organic shapes and plants have been a main motif in her drawings, which seem to signify a season of growth, malleability and hopefulness, stemming from understanding her being in the greater realm.
Special Christmas Edition:
In collaboration with OUE at Mandarin Gallery: 1 – 31 December 2016
Check out our special Christmas collaboration with OUE where 6 specially refurbished public pianos will be on display outside Mandarin Gallery from 1 – 31 December 2016! 3 pianos will feature the special Victoria’s Secrets’ angel wings to commemorate the new store opening in the mall.
Second Edition: March – June 2016
“To:” (left) and “Re:minisce” (right)
Location: One Fullerton, Entrance Plaza
Title: “To:”
Artist: Lim Chia May
Location: One Fullerton, Entrance Plaza
The inspiration for the painting was drawn from one of my favorite piano solo pieces – Fantaisie Impromptu in C Sharp Minor Op. 66 by Frederic Chopin.
However, the title “To:” is a special dedication
to: my late mom who loved music and grew the music seed in me;
to: my beloved Tomoko who accompanied me by the pedals whenever I played the piano or cello at home.
May our story and memory last through the endless music from this piano.
About the Artist: Lim Chia May
Chia May has very keen interest and passion in arts and music since young, and with the support and encouragement from the family, she has picked up and mastered several musical instruments such as piano, violin and cello at young age of 17. With her enthusiasm and passion in music, she also undertook the role of the student conductor for the Chinese Orchestra in her secondary school, and has led the team in various performances and competitions nationwide.
Other than music, Chia May has also innate flair in arts and paintings which she spent much of her free time learning and exploring different styles of paintings through observations. In the process, she constantly learns and explores different approaches and interpretations to arts and design, of which she uses to expresses herself through the art of making, drawing and music.
Chia May graduated with the Bachelor of Business And Management from the University of West England in 2014. She has always been looking for platforms to practise both her interests in music and arts.
Title: Re:minisce
Artist: Lim Chu Hwai
Location: One Fullerton, Entrance Plaza
That dreamy window I liked to watch on rainy days,
with sound of rain tapping on the pane,
leaving trails, blurred lights and smeary silhouettes;
that Marriage D’amour I liked to play on rainy days,
with sight of rain droplets dancing to the rhythms,
reminiscing that nostalgic scenes of hurry souls and bustling street;
all beyond that rainy window which the old piano is still sitting beside at home.
About the Artist: Lim Chu Hwai
Chu Hwai graduated with the Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Arts (Architecture) (1st class Honours) from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2012. His interest in architecture focuses on social phenomenon and experimental design, and he constantly explores new ideas and approaches in design and architecture.
Upon graduation, he has been practicing architecture with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and is also actively involved in regular home building projects for the needy communities mainly with the EPIC Homes and other self-organized initiatives.
Over the past few years, Chu Hwai has committed and involved in building more than 12 houses for the needy communities in rural settlements in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. He spent much of his weekends and annual leaves joining the EPIC Homes initiative to build sustainable homes in rural Malaysia together with the prospective homeowners and other volunteers. With proper engagement and empowerment of the local communities and beneficiaries, this initiative aims to meet both physical and emotional needs of the underprivileged.
Chu Hwai believes that small actions like his individual enthusiasm and will be able to influence and inspire more people to participate in this collective effort in driving social change and improving the needy communities.
For more information on Chu Hwai: http://archinect.com/LIMCHUHWAI
For more information on his volunteering works: https://www.epichome.org
Note: Chia May and Chu Hwai are siblings.
Title: Igor
Artist: Billy Soh
Location: Under the Esplanade Bridge
“Igor” is the second in my series after “Maurice”. It is loosely based on Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka, the puppet entertainer.
About the Artist: Billy Soh
Billy Soh (b. 1979) is a multi disciplinary artist with many different areas of practices that ranges from photography, paper making, sound and installation art.
Graduated with a Diploma in Visual Communication in Photography from Temasek Polytechnic in 2000, he completed a multimedia final project combining video, photography and audio. His educational background from the Temasek Design School provided him with the versatility to work with a wide range of mediums and materials resulting in some permanent public installations.
Title: Melissa
Artist: Kenneth Lee
Location: Under the Esplanade Bridge
With absolutely no background in music, the artist struggles to find meaning to the Piano. Deconstructed, stripped apart and reinterpreted to reveal its rawness and inner workings, “Melissa” is an apparent Steam Punk meets Art Deco poster that is nonetheless still an instrument of nature. An inanimate object, bare, until someone gives life to it through music. Something seemingly so plain that can evoke so much in an individual.
“I wonder what delight nature must feel when we open our hearts and express our god-given talents. The sound of approval rolls across the universe, and the whole world abounds in magic, wonder fills our hearts, for what we’ve glimpsed, for an instant, the playfulness of life.”
– Michael Jackson
About the Artist: Kenneth Lee
Kenneth Lee (@knltk) is a Singapore-based artist and designer with a Bachelor of Environments (Architecture) at the University of Melbourne. Having apprenticed under PHUNK and practiced at DP Architects, Kenneth envisions the marriage of art and architecture, challenging their conventional notions by blurring boundaries and focusing on new approaches to visual expression. His projects and works span across art, architecture, design, and photography.
Title: Through the Looking Glass
Artist: Syamil Dasuki and Yang Jie
Location: The Float at Marina Bay, Gate G2
A nod to Lewis Caroll’s novel, this piano invites the public to peer through the musical score, and ponder upon what lies beneath the reflections.
Artists: Syamil Dasuki and Yang Jie
Syamil Dasuki is a sculptor whose interest lies in examining relationships between people, and our relationship with objects. Since 2008, he has executed guerrilla-style public projects under Mission: Singapore (M:SG) as Director of the group. In 2013, he held his first solo exhibition under M:SG.
Syamil Dasuki received his training in sculpture at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and graduated with distinction in 2014. He has participated in several group exhibition over the year as a sculptor and has works in both private and public collection.
He is fascinated by the creative potential of the human condition embodied in procreation, and often portrays imagery of birth and motherhood, reflecting on his generation’s relationship with these ideas. His current body of work on labour and reproduction tries to relate reproduction and productivity with the wordplay on “labour”.
Yang Jie is interested in the way things are put together: furniture, objects, stories and ideas. Drawing on his engineering background, his work consists mainly of objects of monumental size, if not ambition. His projects include, the large scale installation ’Can I lend you my Umbrella?’ (2011) a collaboration with video and performance artist, Ezzam Rahman; Postcards from Earth (2011), and The Photographer, the Executioner’s Assistant (2014) with the Black Baroque Committee at The Objectifs, Singapore. Working in a collective format, he produced the installation Reading Room, at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Gallery 1 & 2. This collective also undertook the conceptualization and creation of the Excellence Sculptural Installation at the Youth Olympics Village for the Singapore Youth Olympic Games 2010.
Title: BeforEden
Artist: Eunice Lim
BeforEden is inspired by the notion of ‘becoming’ in the same way chords progress which enlightens the human spirit. The process of becoming comes before its form, thus layers of land contours appear in the midst of emptiness. Patches of land appears and the presence of human race lurks in the universe. As music is being played, it embodies the emotions of a journey reflecting life; lighting up as the music ascends.
About Artist: Eunice Lim
Eunice Lim Wei Mon, a Singapore based visual artist, has always been intrigued with human relationships and narratives in culture. She translates her studies with mediums her ideas discern most appropriate for.
Her research is driven based on the critique of the system, to confront beliefs designed by a structure for society. Eunice approaches her works in a systematic layered manner, the very same way she believes social conditionings are formed. In the process, she re-examines the structure through origins, progress, and development. Therefore, she desires to pose an alternate understanding in the system we are acquainted to; creating new narratives through aspects of history, time & social culture.
Eunice graduated with a Bachelor of Fine arts at LASALLE College of the Arts, in partnership with Goldsmiths, University of London in 2014. She has exhibited actively in various venues such as ION Art Gallery (Singapore), Substation Gallery (Singapore), Affordable Art Fair (Singapore), Sabanci University (Turkey), Angel Orensanz Foundation of Contemporary Art (New York).
Title: Transcendence
Artist: Jacq Wang
This painting was inspired from a scene in a manga by Makoto Isshiki. Kai was a enigmatic child and the only person capable of bringing out music from an abandoned piano. During one performance, he transcended into amazing experiences of the forest. I hope this is an inspiration to anyone who plays music to captivate and bring the beauty of their own worlds to listeners out there.
About the Artist: Jacq Wang
“In her wildest dreams she never imagined herself as an artist, not even one who doodles”.
Jacq’s passage into arts started in 2013 with a tinge of curiosity, a smile and the rest became history. She first took up painting from My ArtSpace, and went on to pursue multiple disciplines (Sculpture, Interior Design) from NAFA to complement her artistic development. Her works are influenced by her travels, and she is attracted to images depicting happiness and contentment especially in children and animals. She enjoys producing works in Hyperrealism and also experimenting with Abstract. Jacq’s inspiration is to use her art to contribute to society, through gifts of donations or simply by bringing happiness to any viewer.
In 2015, she held her first joint exhibition in Singapore – “Passages”, showcasing her paintings and sculptures. A portion of sales proceeds were donated to the Metta Cats & Dog Shelter. In the same year, she has also participated in 2 charitable art exhibitions organized by My ArtSpace.
For more info: visit https://www.facebook.com/livingthecanvas
Title: A Symphony in Red
Artist: t y n x
What is music, but an arrangement of accidental noise? A Symphony in Red is found between movements both free and meticulous, threading deliberate cacophony and imperfect harmony. A juxtaposition of nature and nurture, the duality eventually becomes one, over the blossoming of time.
About the Artist: t y n x
t y n x occurred when the stars aligned and brought two rather… different creatives to come together and make art. Drawing influences from Warhol to Wagner to the WWW, their inspiration and education comes from eclectic sources too innumerable to name. They believe art should trigger the sentiment. Be it comfort, hunger, happiness or nostalgia, the human nature is the t y n x’ palette – and the world their canvas.
First Edition: September – December 2015
by Billy Soh
Featured in first edition of Play it Forward (SG): September – November 2015
Donated to Chao Yang School
P.Floyd (2015)
by Bridget Tay
Featured in first edition of Play it Forward (SG): September – November 2015
Donated to HCA Hospice Care
Play it Forward Singapore: Public Piano Movement in Singapore 