Cover The bright lights of the city at night are beautifully captured in Starry Night #2, a painting by Singapore artist Kevin Tan Ngee Chye
The bright lights of the city at night are beautifully captured in Starry Night #2, a painting by Singapore artist Kevin Tan Ngee Chye
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Singapore artist Kevin Tan Ngee Chye celebrates the splendour of the Marina Bay area with his new exhibition at Gallery 1819, while drawing inspiration from Vincent Van Gogh’s famed work, The Starry Night
When Singapore artist Kevin Tan Ngee Chye first laid eyes on The Starry Night, he felt spellbound by the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh’s famed work. “I stood before Van Gogh’s painting and appreciate it as how he would like to see [the scene] at that moment,” shares Tan, commenting on the moment he saw the painting in person.
With his first solo show, Starry Night, Tan hopes to capture the beauty of Singapore’s skyline and the Marina Bay district with the Van Gogh painting. To be held from 1 December to 3 January at Gallery 1819, the exhibition will showcase acrylic paintings by Tan that depict the waterfront neighbourhood just before and after the “golden hour”—that magical period right before sunset, when the skies are awash in warm hues.
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Above Singapore artist Kevin Tan Ngee Chye
Singapore artist Kevin Tan Ngee Chye
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The local artist joined the advertising industry after studying graphic design at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa), and has worked as an illustrator and art director for over 30 years. But Tan has never given up on his passion for art; in the last two decades, he has participated in group shows including A Changed World, a 2014 exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore, and has shown his work at events including the 2017 edition of the Affordable Art Fair. He is also a committee member of The Singapore Art Society and has been a part of several installations including Commemoration of NS50 through Art, a 2017 exhibition that featured works that paid tribute to national service officers; Tan’s work also graced the cover of the commemorative booklet created for the occasion.
Tan considers Starry Night series a means to look back on the memories of his advertising career as well as his admiration for the Singapore skyline. “The skyscrapers and the sunset often remind me of the days when I was in advertising. The many late nights, the golden hour, the sparkling lights that are still on; it brought back a lot of feelings and memories which inspired me for this collection,” he shares.
He adds: “The skyline in the night captures the endless hustling with illuminated windows dotting the sky, akin to a starry night. ‘Take the road less travelled’, they said; I looked down as far as I could. And that made all the difference. And that is what Starry Night is like.”
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Above Golden Hour #1 by Kevin Tan
Above Golden Hour #2 by Kevin Tan
Golden Hour #1 by Kevin Tan
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The artist began working on the series at the start of this year, painting based on photo references of the district. “It usually takes a few weeks to gather the scenes that I like, going at different hours, and to capture the colours of the sky. It takes approximately one to two weeks from start to finish, depending on the size of the artwork,” says Tan.
Around the same time, Gallery 1819 founder Zak Lo recommended to Tan on holding a solo show at the art venue, as it has been four years since the last exhibition that the artist participated in; the timing happily coincided with Tan’s fresh burst of inspiration. “Kevin’s mastery of light and colours in painting cityscapes is unparalleled in my opinion; naturally the vibrancy of Kevin’s works help to demonstrate the success and shine of our city,” shares Lo. “I feel that this is a long-awaited solo exhibition!”
Above Starry Night #3 by Kevin Tan
Starry Night #3 by Kevin Tan
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Among the pieces, Lo counts the work entitled Starry Night #3 among his favourite paintings to be shown at the gallery. “It combines a mastery of light and shadows to bring out the vibrancy of our city at night and our status on the international F1 circuit,” Lo shares, commenting on the recent return of the Singapore Grand Prix’s Marina Bay street circuit in September.
Tan is as delighted with the exhibition ahead and looks to more future collaborations with the gallery. “Gallery1819 and Zak have greatly supported me and I’m appreciative of it. We have a great working chemistry and I look forward to many successful years.”
Gallery1819 is located at 315 Outram Road, #02-04 Tan Boon Liat Building
