This Singaporean Artist's Captivating Mural In Coimbatore Is Beyond Beautiful

Yip Yew Chong, a Singaporean artist, recently ventured to India for a special project in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Commissioned to adorn the walls of a residential building, he crafted a stunning mural spanning 15 meters by 14 meters on a four-storey building in Ukkadam, drawing inspiration from the vibrant daily life in the city.

The mural depicts scenes familiar to locals: a man skillfully pouring tea, a woman preparing those, and a street vendor selling pani puri.

During his 10-day visit to the city, Chong shared glimpses of his journey on Instagram. On January 28, he shared pictures with a caption, “My Studio for the next 10 days – a prelude to “I Paint my World”. The accompanying photos captured him enjoying savouring tea and snacks to admiring murals adorning city buildings. Amongst the snapshots were scenes of everyday life, where youngsters revelled in play while women fetched water from the community tank.

In another post, Chong shared images of murals created by his friends in the city. With a touch of humor, he referred to his own unfinished mural as the “Indian version of a Chinatown tea-pouring mural.”

Chong updated his mural’s progress on February 4 with a post exclaiming, “I’m happy to say I’m on track!” The accompanying pictures depict him posing with his mural from various angles. In one shot, he humorously pretends to hold a painted glass of tea, while in another, he pretends to sip tea poured by a man in the mural. Additionally, the photos capture the incomplete artwork on another part of the building. Alongside these mural updates, Chong is seen enjoying local cuisine, interacting with children, and taking selfies with the locals.

On February 6, Chong, on his last day of painting the mural, shared the inspiration behind including a pani puri vendor in his artwork. He explained how the bustling food stalls, especially a pani puri stall near the mural site, sparked the idea.

Additionally, Chong incorporated a Tamil phrase, ‘வாங்க சாப்பிடலாம்’ (Come, let’s eat), into the mural. This phrase, commonly seen on Coimbatore’s street walls, added a local touch to the artwork.

Chong’s mural garnered praise from numerous online users who filled the comment section with compliments. One user remarked, “The magic of your artwork is that it brings smiles to everyone who sees it,” while another simply stated, “Awesome work Mr. Yip!”