The Cage Bird (Jade)

The Cage Bird (Jade) 2007                            Oil on Wood 30 x 30cm.

This work was created when I first moved to Singapore in 2007. The painting conjures a sense of sadness and loneliness, a reflection of the fact that it took me some time to adapt to my new surroundings, and is inspired by the Maya Angelou poem “The Caged Bird Sings”. The ethereal bird floating outside the cage tries to communicate the existence of freedom, love and companionship to the caged jade bird. The frame of the cage closest to the silhouetted bird is almost invisible, highlighted in a golden yellow, suggesting the freedom outside which the caged bird cannot see. The work also represents the wider oppression that exists in the world, and how it can be conquered, at least in part, by communication.

Click to see more paintings from “A Cage Bird Sings” exhibition