EZ-Link will be launching two commemorative sets of EZ-Link cards for National Day 2022, in collaboration with local artists Kelly Ser and Lee Kow Fong – more commonly known as Ah Guo. In line with this year’s National Day theme “Stronger together, Majulah!”, the limited edition cards will feature the two artists’ works, highlighting iconic features of Singapore’s history and culture. Kelly’s cards will be launched on 25 June, while Ah Guo’s cards will be launched on 4 July.
“Even as Singapore emerges from pandemic restrictions, we are facing evolving challenges and new opportunities. Against this backdrop, we wanted to celebrate our collective fortitude and strength in diversity, by casting the spotlight on the different facets of Singapore’s history and culture through the unique lenses of local artists in our community,” said Nicholas Lee, Chief Executive Officer, EZ-Link.
“EZ-Link is delighted to collaborate with notable Singapore talents like Kelly and Ah Guo for this year’s National Day series. Their works carry deep cultural significance and serve as visual reminders for commuters of what makes Singapore the unique and resilient city-state that it is,” Lee added.
National Day 2022 EZ-Link Cards – Not Just a Little Red Dot”
The first set of commemorative EZ-Link cards for this National Day feature Kelly Ser’s works from her collection titled Not Just a Little Red Dot, which aims to take her audience on a visual journey through Singapore’s development story. Tied together by the themes of transformation and togetherness, these pieces acknowledge the community formed and the progress we have made as a nation.
Featured works include historically-significant districts like Chinatown and Joo Chiat, and watershed moments such as the unveiling of the Merlion in 1972 and the launch of the national flower Vanda Miss Joaquim in 1981. After spending more than a decade as a civil servant, Kelly Ser decided to fulfil her calling and pursue arts full-time, eventually founding Kelly Ser Atelier. Through Kelly’s collaboration with EZ-Link, she hopes to broaden accessibility to art in an innovative manner, with her works incorporated into different touchpoints in everyday life.
“I believe that art is something that everyone should be able to enjoy. It has been a pleasure collaborating with EZ-Link for this year’s National Day cards, and I hope that they will ignite the senses of Singaporeans across accessible touchpoints of daily life,” said Kelly Ser, founder of Kelly Ser Atelier.
“I hope that these cards can brighten up their everyday moments and serve as vibrant reminders of Singapore’s rich history and culture, especially as these landmarks are often mainstays in the backdrop of commuters’ everyday journeys.”
National Day 2022 EZ-Link Cards – Celebrate Singapore’s strength in diversity through our hawker culture
Featuring selected works from Ah Guo’s Hawker series, the second set of EZ-Link’s National Day 2022 special edition cards showcases Singapore’s diverse hawker culture in a nostalgic, innocent manner. It also marks Ah Guo’s third collaboration with EZ-Link, following the launch of special edition EZ-Link cards for Chinese New Year 2022 and Singapore’s 56th National Day, which showcased his illustrations of a brighter future for Singapore.
Ah Guo’s Hawker series depicts a child visiting different food stalls in a hawker centre, each selling ethnic dishes that are familiar to and well-loved by many Singaporeans, including popiah, prata and nasi lemak. The series highlights the nation’s strength in diversity, and was launched in 2019 — a year before Singapore’s hawker culture’s inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
A renowned local artist and picture book creator who specialises in watercolour illustrations, Ah Guo first found fame over the circuit breaker period when his illustrations of everyday scenes and people, delivered in his distinct, child-like art style caught the public’s attention.
Ah Guo shared: “I have always enjoyed using daily life as an inspiration for my art, whether it’s from the little moments or scenes of everyday life that Singaporeans can easily relate to. This series presents our local hawker culture through a child’s perspective, to invoke the nostalgia associated with the hawker centres that many of us have frequented since young.”
“I’m glad to work with EZ-Link once again this year to share my illustrations with Singaporeans across all walks of life; and I hope that these depictions of our hawker culture will allow commuters to take a short trip down memory lane.”
The limited edition cards will retail at $10 each (without load value), and are exclusively available on the EZ-Link Official Store on Shopee. Cards featuring Kelly and Ah Guo’s works will be available from 25 June and 4 July respectively.
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