Cityscapes

These paintings depict city scenes in Singapore and Malaysia during the 1970s and 1980s. It was a period of rapid development after both countries gained independence.

Lai Foong Moi’s works do not portray the city as a usual symbol of modernity and urban progress. Instead, people rarely appear. Lai paints the streets from a distance. The buildings look unoccupied. Their stillness might evoke a sense of ambiguity and alienation, reflective of a time when identity, belonging and nationhood were still taking shape.

Through these restrained cityscapes, Lai presents an experience of modernity that seems at odds with official narratives of progress. As cities transform, individuals, practices and communities are often overlooked. Lai’s urban landscapes draw attention to them through their absence.