In Case of Lost Childhood

I visited an art exhibition opening today at Wasuka Art Gallery titled "In Case of Lost Childhood" by Singaporean artist Paul Koh. He painted the same cat for 22 years in different scenarios that involve imagination and play. It's opened till 4 Oct 2026.

I was excited to see this one simply because of CATS! Who doesn't love cute characters and whimsical storytelling in art!?!? 

Wasuka Art Gallery is located on the 2nd level of 81 Joo Chiat Rd. It's 15-min walk from Paya Lebar or Eunos MRT. 

My first impression was that it felt someone's home rather than an art gallery?! Visitors casually lounged on chairs, chatted over drinks, while admiring cute art hung on walls. I totally love the relaxed vibe?!?! 

The gallery owner, Kenneth, kindly gave me a tour of his space. He has been running the gallery for 25 years!!! As for artist curation, he selected those who exhibited excellence and attention to detail in their paintings. I resonated with his passion for human artistry, a crucial stance especially in this AI slop era.

A total of 20 acrylic paintings were featured, priced from SGD700 - 3500. 

The smiley cat is featured in so many imaginative scenarios, like riding a koi fish, drinking milo, playing guitar, cosplaying as fortune cat etc. It brings a smile to your face haha! 😻

The artist infused a lot of Singapore and Japanese elements, like our traditional Chinese bowl, Singapore coffee cup, tiger balm, ice kachang etc. A very humanised local cat indeed.

Then the artist himself, Paul, asked me to choose the painting I liked best. I replied the top right one because I love the iconic Japanese fox mask. He mentioned that he has been painting the same cat 22 years, and this was his very first cat who has passed away. Very down-to-earth and approachable guy! 

Some smaller paintings priced SGD700 - 1100. Cute lah really. Simple but strong concept.

Two large paintings priced SGD3500 each. They look so Japanese-inspired with the sakura flowers, ocean blues, Japanese wind chimes and good-luck charms, traditional bowls, even his artist stamp. 

Hahaha I like the middle one: Cat soaking in Nissin cup noodles, accompanied by two birds. It's like peeking at the daily life of a cat at this point.

There is this other corner featuring works from previous artists, including figurines and prints. Kenneth mentioned that they feature new artists every two weeks, so I can come down pretty regularly! He also offered to give me tickets to Affordable Art Fair in Nov!

They sell stickers for $25/set too, and I left a congratulatory message in their guestbook. My mood has been instantly lifted with such a well-curated and thoughtfully designed space

Okay that's all!