In striking shades of black and white, Aryan Arora’s paintings tell a nuanced story of evolving perspectives in Singapore through his colour blind eyes.
Be it the long orderly queues at Old Chang Kee, or seniors selling tissue paper at the MRT stations, or the coffeeshop uncle who is able to make him the perfect cup of coffee without knowing his language - every observation added a layer to the mental canvas that Aryan has painted of Singapore.
A perfect example of that is his painting Silent Hands, where a construction worker toils away cleaning a building facade.
Aryan said: “When we talk about Singapore, we talk about Marina Bay Sands, financial hubs and big buildings. But we don’t talk about the migrant workers who build them.”
Another insightful painting is that of a migrant domestic worker who came to Singapore with the hopes of becoming a model.
Upon her request not to paint her entire face, Aryan painted a mask that is partially peeled off, revealing eyes that portray a different version of herself.
His series of paintings titled Silent Dialogues are a reflection of his own inner journey.
“Being silent is also saying something. And that is me. As a child, I had a lot of questions in my mind. But I was shy. I am able to ask these questions through art.”
A distinctive feature of Aryan’s paintings is his use of monochrome. Being colour blind, is not the main reason for his colour choice.
“Since young, I have heard that things are black and white but over time, I realised that what is right for me may not be right for someone else. I show that in my art through the different shades within monochrome.”
Born in Saharanpur, India, Aryan came to Singapore in 2017 to study Fine Arts at Lasalle College of the Arts. His parents Pawan and Vernica Arora flew to Singapore to view their son’s recent exhibition.
Said Mrs Arora: “Initially, it was very difficult to accept that he would be doing art, but he was so confident about it that we felt he should be given a chance to do what he likes in life.”
Aryan’s artworks have been exhibited at Little India Artwalk, Singapore Discovery Centre, Google HQ Singapore, Yarana restaurant, Substation Gallery, Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore and Art Outreach Singapore.
“What once seemed a foreign land has now become my home,” he said.
