writeups
description of artworks
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Artwork 3 (Shu Hui)
Ooi Shu Hui Photoshopped image 2010 In the left foreground, a young girl with a blue jacket smiles cheerfully with a "cheese" sign, her radiant grin showing off two rows of sparkling white teeth. Her shiny black crowning glory. cur in the style of a bob, is complemented with a glossy tan complexion. She is in the midst of Mother Nature- a sunny tropical garden with grass, shrubbery and trees. The bright green foliage makes one feel relaxed and at peace. Indeed, the girl seems to be enjoying herself, as her entire face is lit up with happiness and joy. However, among all this, it is almost impossible to notice the sneaky white tiger in the right mid-ground crouching behind a bush, well-hidden among the leaves. It has a kind of almost magical feel about it: there is a white glow shining from its body and its body is translucent (one can partially see the plants behind it through its body). Then again, this "magical tiger" is perhaps making use of its "poewrs" as it can camouflage better with its translucent body. One can easily guess that the tiger, which has its eyes fixated on the girl, is most likely planning to have the girl for lunch. But on another level, the tiger is a symbol for danger. The way it creeps up on the girl before suddenly attacking her is also similar to backstabbers in the School of Hard Knock. We will at some point in our lives realise that, this world is full of danger lurking in every possible corner, and sometimes, even in the open. The ecstatic girl is another symbol, for positivity and optimism. When faced with obstacles in our lives, we should not give up on ourselves. On the contrary, facing it with a positive attitude can make things totally different. It's all in the attitude and mindset. The trees, on the other hand, represent sanctuary. Even though the journey in life can be difficult, we will usually have someone we can lean on, someone to encourage us on, to pick us up, to help us. If everyone in this world can have a positive attitude towards life and the adversities it brings along, there would be less suicides, chaos and disasters, Unfortunately, that may only be a dream...oh, what a colourful dream it would be. Perhaps until then, the least we can do is to smile more, even if we are going to be eaten by a tiger... Anyway, as the saying goes, "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going."
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