The Peranakans (Straits Chinese) of Singapore are known for their unique culture, which is often described as a hybrid of Chinese, Malay and Western cultures. They are also known for their kuehs – steamed bit-size sweet cakes made from glutinous rice or tapioca flour. In this artwork, a kueh lapis (“lapis” means “layers” in Malay) is merged with another iconic Singaporean feature, the traditional shophouse. The artwork also depicts a slice of neighborhood life that those growing up in the early 1950s might be familiar with, and which now remains in our collective memories.
This greeting card depicts the colorful shop houses. It is illustrated by Joshua Chiang, a self-taught illustrator who has watched too many cartoons. His illustrations, often described as whimsical and surreal, reveal his love of comics and animation, pop art in general.
- Material: Printed professionally on FSC paper (paper from responsible sources, certified by Forest Stewardship Council). Comes in a white envelope.
- Size: Size: 13cm (width) x 18.5cm (height)
- Origin: Made in Singapore.
- Note: Blank inside. The back of the card shows a description of the artwork and the artist.
About the Artist: Joshua Chiang
This art piece is created by Joshua Chiang, a self-taught illustrator who has watched too many cartoons. His illustrations, often described as whimsical and surreal, reveal his love of comics and animation, and pop art in general.
Joshua is a Singapore-born artist now based in Phnom Penh.
Ever since he successfully sold the only copy of his first original hand-drawn comic book The Adventures of Hercules and Odysseus* to his mother for a meal at the age of nine, Joshua Chiang has been filled with an unquenchable belief that he will achieve greatness in the realm of visual storytelling.
Notwithstanding the fact that he was also diagnosed around the same period with a condition known as ‘Delusions of Grandeur’, (on top of an already devastating disability known as the red-green deficiency). Joshua persevered in his craft, and in 2003, co-wrote and co-directed the digital feature film S11, which has been screened at various international film festivals such as the 9th Shanghai International Film Festival.
Joshua then became heavily involved in the Singaporean animation scene. He has written for many locally produced animated series such as Nanoboy, Master Raindrop, Zigby, and The Exolight as well as international productions such as Robot ARPO, and also helped conceptualize and storyboard various other series.
In 2013, Joshua relocated to Cambodia. And a strange thing happened.
Joshua began illustrating. A lot. In fact pretty soon, illustrating, especially children’s books and comics, became his full-time job. In that way, he found out that he had come full circle back to the thing he loves most as a kid – drawing. And not just any form of drawing, but drawing to tell a story.
In 2017, Joshua started Candid Cambodia, a collection of illustrations about what’s peculiar in Cambodia. He draws his inspiration from the day-to-day happenings in the streets of Phnom Penh. Joshua is probably most well-known in Cambodia for his pile-up art illustration of a motordop ferrying a large number of passengers and much more, capturing the spirit of anything that goes on in this country.
