Seminar Introduction

What is the significance behind the dragons, phoenixes and tigers that adorn the backdrops and panels of traditional Chinese street opera? Uncover their symbolism through time as they continue to appear in art murals and fashion of today, and incorporate them within your own tote bag design in this workshop with tobyato!

Tobyato will be sharing the compelling stories of traditional motifs gleaned from his conversations with veteran Chinese street opera backdrop painter Leong Fong Hwa. These insights and inspirations will be integrated within his Huayi-exclusive stencil designs, which you will get to complete and personalise your own tote bag with. Bring home a design that celebrates the old and new, and one that represents you!

Seminar Details

• Chinese Traditional Motifs Stencilling Workshop | tobyato | Huayi 2022

• Date & Time：19-20 Feb 2022, 13:00 | 17:00

• Venue：Esplanade Rehearsal Studio

• Meet at Theatre Studio entrance, Level 4, 15mins before start time.

• Admission for ages 13 and above.

  About Huayi’s documentary-workshop series, Rekindle

This craft workshop is part of Huayi’s inaugural documentary-workshop experience, which delves into traditional Chinese crafts and their surprising connections to the more familiar contemporary trends of today.

A short documentary was commissioned to uncover the stories of traditional artisans and the sunset industries that they have dedicated their lives to. Depicted through the lens of a young contemporary artist, it aims to invoke dialogue on how we can rekindle the legacy of traditions that have laid dormant or remain unknown. This line of inquiry is strengthened by the complementary onsite workshop.

Join contemporary illustrator and street artist Toby Tan (tobyato) as he chats about traditional Chinese motifs with Leong Fong Hwa in Rekindle: Enter the Dragon. Leong Fong Hwa is a second-generation owner of Leong Shin Wah Art Studio — one of the last few shops that produces backdrops and panels for Chinese street opera performances in Singapore.

About tobyato

Toby Tan, better known as tobyato, is an illustrator and visual artist of many mediums. From sprawling murals to digital graphics to brand collaborations, his artworks often depict bold renderings of traditional Chinese motifs which reflect his personality and roots. A lover of street culture, he has been building a portfolio of works commissioned by the likes of G-SHOCK, Shake Shack, Levi’s and Asics among others.

Ticket Details

• Tickets available on esplanade
• Price: SGD28
• Prices exclude ticketing agent’s booking fees. Esplanade only grants event entry to ticket holders with tickets that have been purchased through authorised ticket agents.
• Find out more about buying tickets. You may also read our FAQs.

COVID19 prevention policies

From 1 Jan 2022, there will no longer be a concession for unvaccinated individuals to perform Pre-Event Testing in lieu of being fully vaccinated. All patrons (except for children aged 12 and below) need to be fully vaccinated# against COVID-19.

#Full vaccination refers to:

• having received the appropriate regimen of World Health Organisation Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) vaccines including their respective duration post-vaccination for the vaccine to be fully effective, and had their vaccination records ingested in MOH’s national IT systems
• recovery from a COVID-19 infection within the last 180 days

All patrons are required to do SafeEntry check-in at the venue via the TraceTogether app (version 2.11 and above) or token only. Other modes of SafeEntry check-in will not be accepted.

Information Source: Esplanade