The eighth edition of the Happiness Private Limited show is a hybrid of William’s trademark fantasia and the botanical world. The work is presented as a series of pseudo-botanical drawings on thirty-six species of popular plants frequently encountered in Singapore. A playful study on symbiosis as each piece of work documents the anomalous alliance of an imagined facultative symbiont to its vascular plant host.
With strung up hammocks, aeries and shrub-houses, the partnership might seem more commensal than mutualistic at times. Only a bona fide botanist knows, for a plant to truly thrive, companionship and affection are as crucial as sunlight, water, and nutrients.
The exhibition features thirty-six paintings by William Sim and a selection of sculptures in collaboration with Lush Tan.
“Botanical Singapore – An illustrated guide to popular plants and flowers” by William Sim, a hardcover coffee-table book based upon the series of drawings from the show is for sale during the opening.
Opening reception, 29 October 2016, Saturday (Deepavali) at 3.30pm. Utterly Art
