Heng Eow Lin

Heng is a multidisciplinary and multitalented artist, exploring various mediums and themes throughout his artistic career, some series even ongoing for years.

As a travelling artist, Heng's Journey Series acts as a journal of sorts to document his sojourns to exotic lands such as Bali and Thailand. Heng applies elements of the culture and landscape of the places he visits and paints them on his canvas as if a montage with a fabric texture as part of the background.

In his Bali painting, he uses the features of the mythical Barong and Rangda as a central subject, almost as if appearing from the lightly patterned veil of smoke that seemingly furls from the incense at the religious scene in the background. A chequered sarong pattern anchors the composition and its monotone texture wraps around the creature to secure the focal point. Mystical and mysterious, Heng's paintings fortify the wonderment that the outside world has for such spiritual places.

Heng is more popularly known as a figurative painter and he enjoys painting traditional costumes as per his cultural interests. His Lovers series explores the theme of love outside the context of sex, although the sensuous poses of his figures tend to raise an eyebrow or two.

Lots of sketches and planning go into each of Heng's artworks and he describes the profession of an artist to be a lonely one where it is necessary to gain support and understanding from others through a reciprocal relationship. He does not believe in working under anyone's shadow, which attributes to his unique style.