Boo Sze Yang’s recent paintings reimagine the city as a place of movement, memory, and possibility. Drawing from familiar architectural structures and the landscape, he transforms these elements into layered, dreamlike spaces where built forms dissolve into atmospheric fields of colour.

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Blending structured elements with fluid brushwork and translucent layers, the paintings balance order and spontaneity. Angular marks and linear frameworks echo construction and mapping, while blurred passages and soft washes evoke light, water, and natural elements. This interplay creates scenes that feel both urban and organic, echoing how cities evolve through time.

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In works from The Floating World series, the city appears to waver like reflections on water: its edges diffused, as if mountains adrift in mist. The composition draws on the spirit of Chinese shanshui (山水) painting, where form and emptiness coexist. Sharp architectural traces intersect soft, fluid grounds, creating a dynamic balance between solidity and impermanence, motion and stillness.

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The recurring presence of water and open blue spaces introduces moments of calm within dense urban structures, inviting viewers to contemplate how aspiration, leisure, and daily life converge. The paintings frame the city as a living environment shaped by shifting perspectives, layered histories, and the continual negotiation between nature and the built world.

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Together, these works offer a hopeful vision of contemporary urban life; one that acknowledges its complexity while holding space for renewal, balance, and imagination.

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