Chua Ek Kay
Front of Shop
Ink on rice paper
34x34cm

The painting by Chua Ek Kay features a traditional shophouse with distinct ventilation windows, typical of Singapore’s architectural heritage. The artist captures the texture and character of the building using expressive brushstrokes, while electrical wires stretch across the scene, subtly integrating modern life into the composition. The blend of old and new highlights the cultural shift happening in the city, emphasising the artist’s nostalgia for disappearing streetscapes. The scene evokes both a sense of history and the urgency to preserve these disappearing structures.