About the artwork
Marie Serendipity - the happenstance of good fortune and chancing upon something by accident. In this image, we notice the iconic public housing estates of Singapore, with multi-storey carparks and familiar lampposts that flank the streets along one's drive or journey home. Perhaps it is serendipity that led people to reside peacefully in Singapore, co-existing in harmony in a multi-racial community that is protected against corruption and crime. Or perhaps the serendipity extends to the artist herself, being able to create a definitive style for herself, debunking art rules of maintaining a single perspective in order to make a cohesive, dynamic piece.
About the artist
Hong Sek Chern (b.1967) graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, followed by an MA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths College, University of London. Sek Chern’s Chinese ink interpretations of the Singapore urban landscape have won her several awards, including the 26th UOB Painting of the Year Grand Prize. She was recipient of the Young Artist Award from the National Arts Council and was selected to represent Singapore at the 25th Sao Paolo Biennale. Her works are part of several institutions and prestigious collections, including Singapore Art Museum, Taipei Fine Art Museum, and the National Arts Council (Singapore)