BUKIT BROWN by FIONA YATES
20 May - 3 June 2009
Fiona Yates is an artist who has lived in Singapore since 2001. Originally from the UK, Fiona graduated from Art School in 1988. She worked in London for nine years, then moved to China in 1998.
It was in Shanghai that Fiona became interested in the materiality of Chinese calligraphy paper. During this time working predominantly on paper, she developed her distinctive style of painting. The particular marks echo an idea of calligraphy, where each brushstroke is considered.
‘Bukit Brown’, Fiona’s most recent body of work that sees her move from paper to canvas, is a reflection and distillation of the natural landscape. Fiona lives on the edge of Bukit Brown. This close proximity gives her an ongoing understanding of the forest and limitless opportunities to observe the landscape across different hours of the day. The shifting light is captured in the framing of the work expressing intensity. Details are brought into focus, pulling the forest foliage towards the viewer in the expanded surface of the canvas.
Fiona’s fascination with Bukit Brown is manifested in the act of painting, and conveys her experience of this unique part of Singapore. The experience of viewing Fiona’s body of work evokes a sense of immersion
