Art on a Postcard International Women’s Day Auction - Curated by Vanessa Murrell

About 

My practice has been a way for me to explore parts of my cultural identity. As a woman of mixed Singaporean and British heritage, my work explores the relationship between these two cultures, looking to how this has been reflected historically through furniture design, objects and architecture.   

I became intrigued by the 18th-century design trend, Chinoiserie. A trend through which elements of Chinese design and culture were recreated and imitated in relation to European aesthetics and tastes. In my own work, I attempt to reclaim and re-imagine this practice in a more conscientious way. My sculptures often draw inspiration from specific cultural styles and processes. Both ornamental and functional designs are blended together in my larger and smaller scale works.   

Recently I’ve become interested in Classical Chinese literature focused in particular on enchanted creatures, objects, and mythical storytelling. Taking inspiration from texts including the ‘Classics of Mountains and Seas’ and Pu Songling’s ‘Tales of a Chinese Studio’, my often ornamental yet animistic sculptures and paintings take on a storytelling quality whilst also referencing my own journey of identity searching. 

Education 

2016 - 2017 
Foundation Diploma Art and Design, Central Saint Martins 

2017 - 2020  
BA Hons Sculpture, Edinburgh College of Art - The University of Edinburgh 

October 2021 - May 2022., Solo: 2022 - 2023  
MFA Fine Art, The Ruskin School of Art, The University of Oxford 

Solo Shows 

2024 
Pangolin Artist in Residence show, Pangolin London (upcoming show)  

2023 
Bestiaries, Wilder Gallery, September 

Solo presentation with Alcova Milan  

2022 
The Tiger’s Eye, Huxley-Parlour, London 

Ornamental Mythologies, Edinburgh Printmakers, Edinburgh  

In the Margins, Commonage Projects, London) 

Women’s History Month Commission for Tate Collective 

Group Shows 

2023 Alcova Miami 

Arrival, Duran Marshaal Gallery, Montreal 

KIRKI, Hekátē Studios, Tinos, Greece 

The Songs of Hecate, Pictorum Gallery, London 

2022 
Mise En Place, Friends Artspace, Arlington Virginia 

Eat Drink, Man Woman, 180 The Strand, London 

Red Room, Berntson Bhattacharjee, London 

Next, Christie’s, London 

RSA New Contemporaries, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh 

Bloomberg New Contemporaries, South London Gallery, London 

Statement about AOAP Submitted Artwork 

The pieces created for the auction reflect techniques used in both my sculptural works and paintings. Recently I've been interested in Chinese mythology, particularly Chinese bestiaries. These postcards depict some of my favourite creatures found within the ancient Chinese bestiary 'The Classics of Mountains and Seas'. My interpretation of these creatures has also been influenced by the parallels I've seen between Medieval and Chinese bestiaries. 

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