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Singapore has its fair share of pioneering artists, and one name you definitely need to know is watercolour master Ong Kim Seng. The artist will soon be stepping back into the spotlight with a new exhibition at artcommune gallery. From March 30 to April 12, Forging Worlds in Tropical Light will bring together more than 30 of his watercolour paintings, dating from 1963 to 2026.
Ong Kim Seng is widely considered one of Singapore’s most accomplished watercolour painters. Active as a full-time artist since the 1980s, he’s best known for his luminous, detail-rich scenes of cities, architecture and everyday life across Asia. Over the years, he’s picked up major titles including Singapore’s top arts accolade, the Cultural Medallion, and multiple prizes from the American Watercolour Society, cementing his reputation as one of the region’s leading masters of the medium.
At the exhibition, expect a mix of early works, rare award-winning pieces, and brand-new paintings – some straight from Ong’s personal collection. You’ll see snapshots of Singapore’s past, like his 1964 painting of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in mid-construction, alongside scenes of everyday life – from ironsmiths at work to bean sprout pickers quietly going about their day.
Travel also threads through his work, with Himalayan towns like Thimi captured in vibrant, sunlit detail. Some pieces carry deeper stories too – painted during a period of grief after his wife’s passing, they reflect the journeys and support from his children that helped him find his brush again.
A major highlight that’s not to be missed: for the first time in his career, eight of Ong’s nine award-winning paintings from the American Watercolour Society will be exhibited. These include Heart of Kathmandu, which won the Paul B. Remmy Memorial Award in 1983 – a piece that helped propel him onto the international stage.
The show also arrives alongside the release of Ong Kim Seng: A Retrospective Journey in Watercolour, a 256-page artbook packed with over 200 artworks from the 1960s to the present, tracing how one of Singapore’s most celebrated watercolourists has evolved over six decades.
For more information on the exhibition, check out artcommune gallery’s webpage here, and follow artst Ong Kim Seng on Instagram here.
artcommune gallery is located at 76 Bras Basah Road #01-01 Carlton Hotel Singapore 189558.
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