Poh Siew Wah, Kingdom in the Sand, Undated

Mixed media on board
122 x 82 cm (visible), 127 x 87 x 5 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good, with surface accretion throughout the work.

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Poh Siew Wah 布少华 (Singaporean, b. 1948) is known for his contributions to the local art scene during the formative decades of Singapore’s modern art development. Working primarily in painting, Poh emerged at a time when many artists were negotiating between Eastern artistic traditions and Western modernist approaches. His practice reflects this period of transition, where representational subjects were often explored through updated compositional structures and painterly techniques influenced by regional and international trends.

Poh’s artworks commonly engage with everyday life, landscapes, and quiet moments drawn from his surroundings, emphasising mood, atmosphere, and pictorial balance. His style is marked by a restrained use of colour and a focus on structure and form rather than overt decorative effect. Although less widely publicised than some of his contemporaries, Poh Siew Wah remains part of the broader narrative of Singapore’s post-war art history, representing a generation of artists who laid important groundwork for the country’s artistic development.

Exhibited: Manila, Philippines, Metropolitan Museum of Manila, 11th Asian International Art Exhibition, 9 November to 31 December 1996.

(Photographed in January 2026)