Updating an ancient art form

ONE usually thinks of Chinese seals as small lipstick-sized sticks, but an upcoming seal-carving exhibition presents a contemporary interpretation of the 3,500-year artform.

For the longest time, the common focus on seals has been on the calligraphy or design on the stamp itself. Six artists from Singapore and Malaysia are showing how the seals themselves can be miniature works of art. They've made the seals from natural stone, shaped them from clay, and even transformed found objects like Chinese kueh moulds into seals.

Ceramicist Oh Chai Hoo has handmade his seals into small abstract objets d'art, for example, finishing them with different glazes. He began making ceramic seals about 10 years ago but focused on this artform more intensively only a few years ago. "With stone getting more expensive, it makes sense to use ceramic. I see them as mini sculptures," notes Oh.