Ng Kim Heoh: Someday in My Dream

Wild and Free, oil on canvas, 76 x 61cm, 2013

Thirst, oil on canvas, 76 x 61cm, 2013

Street of Kimberly, oil on canvas, 76 x 61cm, 2013

This series focus on the street scene, with an irony and contemporary twist compare to other conventional street scene paintings. In this series, wild animals, the naked figures and the fully clothes people in the paintings go on with their activities oblivious of others condition and seem to accept each other’s apparent condition as a “norm”. The first impression shows the indifferent attitude in people, they go on with their daily lives without concerning of their surrounding or others people. It seems that people have become more careless, self-centered, and less communication in face to face interaction especially in this modern era as the technology become a more savvy, social network craving generation. Are we? Is this our future in the society? On the other hand, some show the wild animals as part of their life, as another species living in this planet, harmless to each other, is this the future world? A diverse world where every living species live side by side in peace?

The series addresses the futuristic concept of the world. We may never know if wild animals roaming in the street, human beings stark naked in the public eyes will be a norm in the future society. Prehistorically, human beings were not restricted by rules or moral conscious which compels people to cover up. At the dawn of civilization, humans evolved. Due to cultural and moral expectations, people must dress decently to cover oneself, and this largely depends on the fashion trend that rules the people in their respective time frames. But what is “decent” and what is not are merely perceptions; and sadly, human beings succumb to these without questioning, trapped by their own perceptions.

When we are long gone, the buildings which are 100 or 1000 years old will still stand there to witness the changes. We will never know what happens next. Maybe one day, the power of individuality will rule, clothing become optional, or the world has become so widely expanded that wild animals and human can live side by side. People will be so indifferent to how others live their life or why the animals are roaming the street; if that will to miraculously happen, will it be a cold and careless society or a world in unity? Will it mean that people are more ready to accept and respect each other, be it an animal or another human being? We are just living organisms, scientifically categorized to maintain balance, human and animal alike.