Behind The Curtain

A 2018 nominee for President's Young Talents award, Hilmi Johandi is a rising artist whose beautiful canvases often question the reality behind Singapore's facades. While his early paintings probe the country's history by mixing images of Singapore's past and present, his most recent paintings take their cue from the postcards and posters of Singapore tourism in the 1980s and 1990s.

These marketing materials typically present Singapore as a paradise island with colonial buildings and swaying palm trees. But Hilmi has taken these images and reconstructed them as staged sets, replete with stage lights, velvet curtains and wooden backdrop panels. The solo show, titled Stagecraft: Landscapes and Paradise (2019) features seven paintings and one video.

Stagecraft: Landscapes and Paradise (2019) is showing at Ota Fine Arts, 7 Lock Road, Gillman Barracks, from now till Sep 28. Admission is free.