CHUA MIA TEE SINGAPORE RIVER POSTCARD

$3.90 SGD

Chua Mia Tee
Singapore River
1978
Oil on canvas, 67 x 80 cm
Collection of Lim & Tan Securities Pte Ltd
© Chua Mia Tee and family


Chua, along with many other artists, felt compelled to capture the Singapore River and
the livelihoods around it for posterity following then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s call for a clean-up of the river in 1977. This mammoth task entailed moving thousands of people into public housing and street hawkers into food centres, as well as relocating the lighter boats over a 10-year period.

Four distinct styles of buildings are depicted, representing Singapore’s progress from
British colony to developed nation: the neo-classical Supreme Court building with its
copper dome in the background; a modernist skyscraper on the left; shophouses and street food stalls. The focus of the painting seems to be the latter two, which dominate the composition. By 1978, these food stalls had been replaced by the Boat Quay Food
Centre.

Dimension: 148 x 105 mm