Ong Kim Seng | Afternoon Rest

Courtesy of Mr Tee Beng Huat

Ong Kim Seng is a celebrated self-taught watercolourist. Having travelled widely, he is known for displaying a keen sensitivity towards the cultures he depicts in his work. The artist also frequently captures scenes from Singapore, offering a lyrical perspective towards everyday settings. Afternoon Rest features a nostalgic scene of bumboats along the Singapore River. They were once used to transport goods between larger ships and the shore. Through Ong’s masterful handling of light and shadow, the painting evokes the sensation of a hot afternoon in the tropics and intense sunlight reflecting off the surface of the river.

Ong has participated in group and solo exhibitions in Singapore, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Belgium, Germany, France, the Middle East, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the ASEAN countries. His decades-long career is marked by local and international awards, including: the national Cultural Medallion (1991), the Public Service Star for the Arts (Bintang Bhakti Masyarakat) conferred by the President of the Republic of Singapore (2004) and nine other awards conferred by the American Watercolour Society (between 1983 and 2019).