Uploaded December 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Under the glare of a bright spotlight in one of the galleries at the Singapore Art Museum, local artist Ng Joon Kiat's abstract canvas of earthy colours almost begs to be touched. We find out more about what he's trying to show with the work.
Known for his extremely textured acrylic paintings, local artist Ng Joon Kiat, 37, has been working on his Maps series since the mid-2000s. To him, maps show more than just where places are, but also a reflection of different societies and cultures. For the Biennale, he created 'Lit Cities', which comprises maps of various cities -- from countries as diverse as India to the UK -- layered upon each other with a somewhat pixelated effect. 'As the world gets flatter, everything looks the same, so I was very curious. When I started looking at globalised cities, I started asking myself what exactly there is,' he explains. 'We came in with assumptions that maps primarily reflect the thinking of the people. If you sit from that angle, you will realise that a lot of things are already there in the maps in terms of politics. It's all reflected in the city canvas.'
The work took almost half a year to be completed, and another few weeks to dry, but the end result is a stunning tapestry of paint and colour. 'I hope to seduce viewers to want to touch it,' he continues. 'But I also want them to feel uncomfortable looking at it, it was not meant to be a comfortable piece.'
Under the glare of a bright spotlight in one of the galleries at the Singapore Art Museum, local artist Ng Joon Kiat's abstract canvas of earthy colours almost begs to be touched. We find out more about what he's trying to show with the work.
Known for his extremely textured acrylic paintings, local artist Ng Joon Kiat, 37, has been working on his Maps series since the mid-2000s. To him, maps show more than just where places are, but also a reflection of different societies and cultures. For the Biennale, he created 'Lit Cities', which comprises maps of various cities -- from countries as diverse as India to the UK -- layered upon each other with a somewhat pixelated effect. 'As the world gets flatter, everything looks the same, so I was very curious. When I started looking at globalised cities, I started asking myself what exactly there is,' he explains. 'We came in with assumptions that maps primarily reflect the thinking of the people. If you sit from that angle, you will realise that a lot of things are already there in the maps in terms of politics. It's all reflected in the city canvas.'
The work took almost half a year to be completed, and another few weeks to dry, but the end result is a stunning tapestry of paint and colour. 'I hope to seduce viewers to want to touch it,' he continues. 'But I also want them to feel uncomfortable looking at it, it was not meant to be a comfortable piece.'
