
The Columns Gallery Singapore presents a new collection of abstract paintings by accomplished visual artist, art educator, curator, writer; Choy Weng Yang (b 1930, Singapore). Choy’s dedication to artistic resulted in him attaining the position: Head of the Exhibition & Design at National Museum Art Gallery (NMAG). He later on became the Curator of Art in 1987. As curator, he had a significant role in shaping the National Museum Art Gallery and crafting graphic designs for various art exhibitions.
In this exhibition Colours of Emotions, we extend a heartfelt invitation to delve into a realm where colours transcend pigments on canvas. This solo exhibition continues his artistic legacy in highlighting the journey of his innovative paintings. This body of artworks entice a distinct field of communication, by the pairing of vibrant colours and dynamically energetic brushstrokes.
Choy Weng Yang’s creations are born from the very essence of colour itself. With each stroke, he skilfully emphasizes not just the individual shades, but the dynamic interplay between them. In his world, colours cease to exist in isolation; instead, they reveal their true brilliance through their interactions.
I try to capture a passing moment; I do not plan but instead rely on my impulses and the incidental.– Choy
Highlighting some of his new works, ‘Colour Symphony’, a series of paintings that are inspired by the structure of a musical symphony, this series is composed of three interconnected movements, each flowing seamlessly into the next, enhancing spatial depth and intensity through layered colours.
Choy has made important contributions to the progress of Singapore Art Scene as an educator, art curator, art writer and as a creative visionary. Instrumental in the development of museology in Singapore since the 1970s, Choy is celebrated for his innovative method of combining different modern Western artistic techniques. Inspired by his predecessors like Paul Klee and Josef Albers, Choy applies his own artistic expression that bridges instinctual, common interpretations to the responses of colours. He works upon the practices of these colour theorists, who used colours and composition to convey complex ideas, and sparking a series of emotional responses. Having graduated from the Hornsey College of Art in London in 1962, Choy was largely exposed to interdisciplinary modern art movements of his time, which helped advance the development of his own art. He absorbed the ideas and techniques that defined European art in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly relating to the manipulation of light and colours like Turner, Monet, Matisse, Cezanne, and Mondrian.

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