Ripple Root is the artist moniker of Liquan Liew (b. 1986, Malaysia) and Estella Ng (b. 1991, Singapore). Their carefree works reflect the themes of nature and wildlife with distinct Southeast Asian ornamentation, seen in folkloric patterns with a contemporary twist. Ripple Root has held solo exhibitions in Singapore, London, South Korea, Melbourne and Sydney. Their art is in the private collection of Cathay Pacific, Raffles Hotel, Google, Zendesk and Facebook. In Singapore, they are known for murals in commercial and public spaces, such as 1 Keong Saik Road, 21 Tanjong Pagar and Cuppage Terrace, amongst others.
This work was exhibited in Raffles, Pineapples and the Swamp, a 2019 solo showcase at Yang Gallery, Hilton Singapore, held in conjunction with the Singapore Bicentennial. The exhibition traced Singapore’s growth from swamp to civilisation, reinterpreting scenes from the history books in a modern way.
The work is a fantastical interpretation of Sir Stamford Raffles, featuring coconut palms and pineapples (as rubber, gambier and pineapple plantations were a part of the natural landscape of Singapore back then) in a playful, rhythmic composition.