Ong Kim Seng

Share

Share

Add fave View in room

About the artwork

Before it was selected as the site for the development of an industrial estate, Jurong was a mangrove swamp area with plantation farms, fish and prawn ponds and crocodile-infested rivers. In 1961, the industrialization programme for Singapore was initiated, and Jurong was the chosen site. Low hills were leveled and soil from the area filled Jurong's swampland to develop industrial, residential and recreational amenities. Jurong has since developed into a self-sufficient town. In this thought-provoking piece, Ong Kim Seng uses colour, form and composition to highlight the essence of the port’s history: two figures engaged in the very groundwork that gave rise to one of the most economically successful ports in the world, with the backdrop of an enormous steamliner that acts as a symbol for its industriousness. The artist invites us to spare a moment to pay tribute to the people on whose backs, and through whose effort the great seaport was built, as we enjoy the fruits of their labour.

About the artist

Born in 1945 in Singapore, Ong Kim Seng is an internationally renowned watercolorist and one of Singapore’s most prominent artistic icons. Self-taught and self-supported, the artist has participated in group and solo exhibitions in Singapore and in the United States, China, United Kingdom, Japan , Australia, Belgium, Germany, France, Middle East, Taiwan and Hong Kong. He has won a multitude of awards including six awards from the American Watercolor Society, and the coveted Cultural Medallion in 1999. Playing an active part in some of the most prestigious art fellowships and organizations, the artist was President of the Singapore Watercolor Society from 1991 to 2001, subsequently becoming Honorary President.