Nostalgia in Old Singapore
Nostalgia in Old Singapore
Acrylic and marker on canvas
40cm x 50cm
Nuralysya Binte Abdul Hamid (17, Rainbow Centre Talent Art Programme)
Nuralysya pays tribute to her heritage in this solo piece. In researching how the first generations of Malays lived and worked, she was intrigued by the use of lines and patterns to create mesmerising patterns and designs in the architecture that are a signature of the traditional Malay kampung.
Trumpet Trees
Trumpet Trees
Chinese ink painting on rice paper
72.5cm x 35cm
Ho Seok Kee (Silver, Established Artist Category, 2018 UOB Painting of the Year competition)
Nuralysya Binte Abdul Hamid (17 years old, Rainbow Centre Talent Art Programme)
The art studio at Margaret Drive where Rainbow Centre’s students create their works overlooks a row of lively trumpet trees, whose seasonal shock of pink flowers bring the artists ever so close to nature. Nuralysya loves the flora and fauna that decorates our Garden City, and enjoyed using ink techniques to create the soft effects of the pink blossoms and willowy boughs. This painting inspired many of us to take a good look at the nature around our campus, reminding us that there is beauty everywhere, if we take time to look.
Our Soil, Our Land
Our Soil, Our Land
Chinese ink on rice paper
72.5cm x 35cm
Ho Seok Kee (Silver, Established Artist Category, 2018 UOB Painting of the Year competition)
Hassanah Binte Kazali (17 years old, Rainbow Centre Talent Art Programme)
Nuralysya Binte Abdul Hamid (17 years old, Rainbow Centre Talent Art Programme)
The soil is nature’s gift to our forefathers. Looking around modern Singapore, it is hard to imagine that farms were a common sight here up to just a few decades ago. Evidently, the sweat and toil of our forefathers have borne fruit. In this piece inspired by an image of a postcard of a vegetable farm in Potong Pasir in 1962, the artists share their interpretation of a flourishing plantation complete with their whimsical addition of a scarecrow.
The Fullerton Hotel by the River
The Fullerton Hotel by the River
Acrylic and marker on canvas
30cm x 30cm
Noah Tan (18, Rainbow Centre Talent Art Programme)
A night stroll along the Singapore river is the perfect way to experience Singapore’s beauty. One can almost hear the quiet hum from the bumboat, with the iconic Fullerton Hotel beckoning in the distance. In his signature style of straight lines and bright colours, Noah draws us into this picture of serenity and ease.
My Kampung Days
My Kampung Days
Watercolour, acrylic and marker on paper
42cm x 59.4cm
Hassanah Binte Kazali (17, Rainbow Centre Talent Art Programme)
Traditional Malay houses, or rumah kampung, are an important Asian symbol of the spirit of togetherness — of living together and looking out for one another. This solo piece by Hassanah pays tribute to this “kampung spirit” that Singaporeans are keen to keep alive, where everyone is included and has a place in our society, regardless of race, religion, or abilities.
By The Sea
By The Sea
Chinese ink on rice paper
72.5cm x 35cm
Ho Seok Kee (Silver, Established Artist Category, 2018 UOB Painting of the Year competition)
Hassanah Binte Kazali (17 years old, Rainbow Centre Talent Art Programme)
Nuralysya Binte Abdul Hamid (17 years old, Rainbow Centre Talent Art Programme)
The delicate strokes of this ink painting depicts a water village in Jurong Lake, adapted from a scene found while browsing through image archives that resonated with the three artists. Such villages on stilts, known in Malay as kelong, were the heart of fishing communities in old Singapore. This fusion of architecture from Singapore’s early history with Chinese painting techniques breathes new life to a scene long forgotten.
Rafflesia in Abstract
Rafflesia in Abstract
Acrylic and markers on canvas
30cm x 40cm
Izabella Beck and Jamie Hariette Korthals (11, Rainbow Centre Yishun Park School)
The Rafflesia is one of the world’s largest and rarest flowers, native to Southeast Asia. It is named after Sir Stamford Raffles, who led a British expedition to the region in 1818 and founded modern SIngapore in 1819. Our artists Izabella and Jamie were searching for a way to recreate the bumps on the flower’s petals. Their solution? Bubble wrap!
Kucinta
Kucinta
Oil pastel and chinese ink on paper
42cm x 59.4cm
Muhammad Naufal Azhari Bin Jasmi (15, Rainbow Centre Margaret Drive School)
Our students find inspiration for their art everywhere. On a school trip to the National Gallery of SIngapore, Naufal was drawn to the sight of some cats playing by the Singapore River. They looked like they were having so much fun! A cat lover, Naufal was inspired to etch this moment on paper during art class. He introduced a balance of order and chaos through texture and colour, using oil pastel and ink, and experimented with positive and negative space. The artwork is titled Kucinta, a Singapore cat breed whose name is derived from a hybrid of two Malay words: kuching (cat) and cinta (love). Kucinta also means “I love”, with ku being short for aku.
Postcards from the Past
Postcards from the Past
Mixed media on canvas
29.7cm x 42cm
Abdul Raziq bin Abdul Rahman, Caricia Lim, Chok Wei Xiang, Larry Liao, Low Zhi Peng, Lucas Foo, Noor Fateha binte Mohd Saufi, Randy Ong, Raihan Mustaqim, Teo Kai Jie, Yu Hao Cheng (11 and 12 years old, Rainbow Centre Yishun Park School)
For Singapore’s bicentennial celebrations, the class of students from our Yishun Park campus explored the events and places related to Singapore’s history, and reproduced their impressions in this series of postcards. Gently lift the postcards to read what each one is about!