CHUA MIA TEE BENJAMIN SHEARES BRIDGE POSTCARD

Benjamin Sheares Bridge–The Viaduct
1981
Oil on canvas
Gift of the artist
Collection of National Gallery Singapore

Chua evokes a sense of alienation and dystopia in this panorama of the Singapore
skyline and Benjamin Sheares Bridge. This 1.8km concrete highway had just made its
public debut at the time. The massive viaduct looms over a desolate landscape constructed out of reclaimed land. The sea is long gone, and the trees and grass purposefully planted to stabilise the newly reclaimed land contrast starkly with the soil which is soon to be covered by concrete roads transporting people from all parts of Singapore to work in the Central Business District. The environment here has succumbed to the allure of speed and convenience. The few human figures passing under the Bridge are so miniature that they are practically imperceptible, and the haze clouds the skyscrapers in the background.

Dimension: 210 x 148 mm