When it comes to his digital masterpieces, Singaporean artist Jonathan Yong-Ern Lim isn’t too fond of the adjective “nostalgic”. “[Nostalgia] is probably the most common word that people use to describe my paintings,” he says. “I think it’s nice to remember the past fondly, but my works have always been painted with the present in mind. I don’t think you can feel nostalgic for the present.”
And so, in the spirit of immortalising the present, the 28-year-old Lim chronicles unassuming sights of the city into visceral digitalised paintings, which are posted onto his Instagram account (@whereartjon). There, he documents often neglected observations of Singapore in earnest, juxtaposing vibrant colours against a seemingly dreary backdrop.
In “Time’s Arrow” (2017), two middle-aged men “face off” with each other in a game of chess over kopi (the colloquial term for ‘coffee’) at a void deck (the communal space on the ground floor of a block of public housing’); in another, a solitary figure sits on a park bench by a canal along Ubi Avenue with his head hung low and his gaze fixed on his phone on a quiet evening.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2020 من T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2020 من T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Look At Us
As public memorials face a public reckoning, there’s still too little thought paid to how women are represented — as bodies and as selves.
Two New Jewellery Collections Find Their Inspiration In The Human Anatomy
Two new jewellery collections find their inspiration in the human anatomy.
She For She
We speak to three women in Singapore who are trying to improve the lives of women — and all other gender identities — through their work.
Over The Rainbow
How the bright colours and lively prints created by illustrator Donald Robertson brought the latest Weekend Max Mara Flutterflies capsule collection to life.
What Is Love?
The artist Hank Willis Thomas discusses his partnership with the Japanese fashion label Sacai and the idea of fashion in the context of the art world.
The Luxury Hotel For New Mums
Singapore’s first luxury confinement facility, Kai Suites, aims to provide much more than plush beds and 24-hour infant care: It wants to help mothers with their mental and emotional wellbeing as well.
Who Gets To Eat?
As recent food movements have focused on buying local or organic, a deeper and different conversation is happening among America’s food activists: one that demands not just better meals for everyone but a dismantling of the structures that have failed to nourish us all along.
Reimagining The Future Of Fashion
What do women want from their clothes and accessories, and does luxury still have a place in this post-pandemic era? The iconic designer Alber Elbaz thinks he has the answers with his new label, AZ Factory.
A Holiday At Home
Once seen as the less exciting alternative to an exotic destination holiday, the staycation takes on new importance.
All Dressed Up, Nowhere To Go
Chinese supermodel He Sui talks about the unseen pressures of being an international star, being a trailblazer for East Asian models in the fashion world, and why, at the end of the day, she is content with being known as just a regular girl from Wenzhou.
