You “bak jiu tah stamp”?!
The phrase above would sound familiar if you live in Singapore. In our multi-cultural community, our everyday language is made of terms from different ethnicities and Chinese dialects – and everybody understands!
The latest Artspace@SCCC, a project by Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) to showcase works by local artists, presents Boh Beh Zao: Dialect Illustrations by Kuan Eng. The exhibition features how local artist Kuan Eng used creative illustrations to explain the meaning and pronunciation of some of such terms in Hokkien, as well as some commonly used words in our five main dialects. Motivated to inspire his young nephew, Kuan Eng’s works are intentionally colourful, attention-grabbing and easy-to-understand. Browsing copies of Kuan Eng’s publications, which are possibly Singapore’s first dialect pictorial books for children, are available onsite.
While at SCCC, visitors can also visit the SINGAPO人 exhibition at SCCC to explore how dialects influenced our everyday language.
Details of the Boh Beh Zao: Dialect Illustrations by Kuan Eng exhibition
When: 8 July 2022 – 31 January 2023, 9am – 10pm
Where: Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Level 9 & 10 Foyer
Admission: Free