Tales from the Past

Eagle’s Eye Art Gallery presents “Tales from the Past” Art Exhibition. The series of paintings by Andrew Yeo give an insight into the lives of the people since the 1960s. The exhibition hopes to illustrate social history and tell a story about the livelihood of the young and old in Singapore.


The artist shows us the different ways people eke out a living. For the poor and illiterate, there were many ways to make a living on the streets from roasting chestnuts, selling desserts, to making roti prata. Andrew finds his subjects in the places, things and people of Singapore. His landscapes are intimate views of human habitation.
He is inspired by the makeshift hawkers, the unplanned, and the near chaotic arrangement of shop fronts. He has extended his portfolio beyond the usual tourist finds to surprise us with the ordinary back lanes and the fringe landmarks. In quiet contemplation, he enjoys the quiet lanes and deserted backyards. In his “Survival Series”, a variety of street hawkers are presented to us up close. Most of Andrew’s paintings depict the buyers and seller amidst the colourful wares. Those are personalised portraits of the hawker stalls.


Andrew’s main strength is his draughtsmanship. His perspective is interesting and there is a sound understanding of shapes and structure. Each of his paintings exudes warmth and welcome with their bright and light colours. Every nook and corner of its immediate environment has become part of his pictorial repertoire. He likes his strokes to be more liberal and less rigid. Andrew remains a representational painter, integrating traditionalism with impressionism.