Arts Picks
Sonny Liew’s Charlie Chan revisited with portraits of LKY, sketches, collectible art
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Graphic novelist Sonny Liew's portraits used in his award-winning The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (2015) are on show at a three-chapter exhibition at Waterloo Centre and Bras Basah Complex.
ST PHOTO: SHAWN HOO
The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye: The Exhibition
Graphic novelist Sonny Liew’s well-loved fictional cartoonist Charlie Chan Hock Chye is getting a retrospective at risograph studio Knuckles & Notch’s Chaos Gallery at Waterloo Centre.
On view is a chronological showcase of Chan’s comic oeuvre – originals and prints from the satirical animal world of Bukit Chapalang to home-grown superhero Roachman. The exhibition’s centre of gravity is the clutch of four oil portraits – including two of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew – that hang on the walls.
Liew’s hand is behind all of these Chan creations, some of which are on public view for the first time.
Chan’s retrospective is just part one of the three-chapter exhibition across spaces important to print and comic history, with the other two chapters showing at Bras Basah Complex.
At Basheer Graphic Books, witness how Liew’s The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (2015) went from thumbnail to final art.
At comic bookshop InkInk Collectibles, learn about the book’s reception and see Liew’s three Eisner Awards. Liew’s graphic novel has inspired other artists and visitors can catch an exclusive first glimpse at the concept art behind Finding Pictures’ animated feature film adaptation, which is in development.
Comic artists have been commissioned to create new covers for The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye.
ST PHOTO: SHAWN HOO
Comic and literary nerds who want to own a piece of Singapore comic history can also do so.
Liew’s sketches will be on sale, with prices yet to be determined. Other artists have also been commissioned to make new covers for the book – including Malaysian artist Emily Yim, who imagines Liew, Lee and Chan playing mahjong together – going for between $400 and $500.
A special risograph print by Singaporean artist and animator Ryan Ben Lee will be on sale at Knuckles & Notch. The 10th anniversary edition of The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye will also retail for $48.90.
As for the oil paintings, Liew is still mulling over a potential sale. “I feel an attachment to them, so it’s probable I would either not sell them or price them at some outlandish amount. If the paintings did go anywhere, I would hope they stay together – maybe as part of an institutional collection. Though, I have no idea if such an interested party exists.”
The show is curated by Rachel Lim and Nurul Kaiyisah. Ms Lim hopes visitors will find their own way to take in the multiple, complex threads of Liew’s novel. “Some people will be interested in the alternative take on Singapore history. Comic nerds might be interested in different art styles and references. And, if you are a creative or someone with ambitions, you will fully resonate with Charlie Chan’s life story.”
Visit all three sites to complete a stamp rally and collect a free postcard.
Where: Chaos Gallery, 02-25, 261 Waterloo Street; Basheer Graphic Books, 04-19 Bras Basah Complex, 231 Bain Street; InkInk Collectibles, 04-43 Bras Basah Complex
MRT: Bras Basah
When: Dec 6, 1 to 7.30pm; Dec 7 to 28, 1 to 6pm at Chaos Gallery (closed on Mondays); 10am to 8pm at Basheer Graphic Books; 1 to 7.30pm at InkInk Collectibles
Admission: Free
Info: @artofcharliechan10 on Instagram
Singapore Chinese Orchestra’s Percussion Rhapsody
Singapore Chinese Orchestra percussionist Derek Koh will perform on 14 percussion instruments as part of Percussion Rhapsody.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE CHINESE ORCHESTRA
Audiences will be in for a virtuosic treat when Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) percussionist Derek Koh takes the stage for Percussion Rhapsody on Dec 13.
Koh will perform on 14 different percussion instruments of Western and Chinese varieties – including the vibraphone, marimba, Chinese cymbals and Peking gongs – in Chinese-American composer Chen Yi’s avant-garde composition Percussion Concerto.
Koh will also be reciting a poem by Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo while performing.
The 1½-hour programme, which will include other pieces, is helmed by SCO’s associate conductor Moses Gay.
Gay says in a statement: “This concert is a showcase of Chinese orchestral versatility, anchored by the rhythmic brilliance of percussion.”
Where: SCO Concert Hall, Singapore Conference Hall, 7 Shenton Way
MRT: Shenton Way
When: Dec 13, 7.30pm
Admission: $20 to $80, eligible for SG Culture Pass
Info: str.sg/mRUn
Singapore Book Council’s Moving Sale
There are over 500 books of prose, poetry, fiction and non-fiction titles available at the Singapore Book Council moving sale.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE BOOK COUNCIL
Still looking for the perfect Christmas gift for a bookworm? A pre-loved book won’t go wrong, and you can take a chance to raid the collection of the Singapore Book Council (SBC) from Dec 5 to 7.
As SBC is moving into a smaller space at Goodman Arts Centre, the charity is inviting book lovers to bring a box or bag and fill it with as many of its books for just $25.
From the organisation’s Instagram page, many works of Singapore literature – including Amanda Lee Koe’s Delayed Rays Of A Star (2019) and Myle Yan Tay’s catskull (2023) – are available. There are over 500 books of prose, poetry, fiction and non-fiction titles in multiple languages.
Sign up for a slot, bring a bag or box and plan an early visit – it is fastest fingers first.
Where: Singapore Book Council, 03-32, Block E Goodman Arts Centre, 90 Goodman Road
MRT: Mountbatten
When: Dec 5 to 7, 9.30am to 5pm
Admission: $25
Info: @singaporebookcouncil on Instagram
