Writings
Essays written for my exhibitions
This essay explores how my work transforms overlooked urban debris into subjects of contemplation, memorializing the ephemeral with unsentimental poetry. My Heart Will Go On And On And On embraces experimentation, blending irony and sincerity to find beauty in the forgotten.
An essay for my solo exhibition TRUTH BE TOLD: Recent Totz Abt Painting Ppl, reflecting on my journey as a figurative painter and evolving views on painting people, figuration, realism, and truth in art.
A brief essay for Evening, Once More, exploring my influences—Van Gogh, Wong Kar Wai’s effortless cool (which I fail to embody), Macpherson’s raw ugliness, and evening scenes as a lens on urban melancholy and existentialism.
In this essay, I explore how my works reject nationalist labels on my Singapore-focused art, emphasizing shared humanity over borders. Inspired by artists who highlight the mundane, I aim to capture overlooked moments accessible to all. Aware of political undercurrents, I embrace multiple interpretations, inviting personal connections.
This prose explores the sacred in everyday life through a banyan tree (Seng Chew) by a bustling coffeeshop, where devotion mingles with conversation amid altars, lights, and deities like Tua Pek Kong and Ganesha.