Today is Hari Raya Puasa, it is an important occasion celebrated by all Muslims. I have specially created an artwork dedicating it to all the Muslim friends in Singapore.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar celebrated by Muslims as a month of fasting and prayer. Fasting during this ramadan is one of the important pillar of Islam and it usually consists of prayers and social gathering. Hari Raya marks the end of Islamic holy month of ramadan. During this day, Malay women dressed in Baku Kurung and men dressed in Baku Melayu.
I have illustrated the Abdul Gafoor Mosque, located at the Dunlop street at the heart of Little India Singapore. The mosque was built in 1907 to serve the Tamil Muslim community. The architecture of the mosque is very iconic with an eclectic mix of neoclassical and saracenic elements. It had undergoes a restoration in 2003 to align with the existing architecture of the mosque. It is named after the founder Sheik Abdul Gafoor Bin Sheik Hyder.
It is one of the most beautiful mosques located in Singapore and was gazetted as a national monument in 1979 in recognition of its rich architectural and historical value.
I had always interested in architecture in and the mosque has a distinct architecture setting which sets apart from other mosque in Singapore. In order to illustrate the mosque, I had specifically gone down to take a closer look at the building details.
The mosque exterior initially is in eye catching yellow and green but repainted in white and green in 2021. For the start, I had carefully drawn the symbols in the exterior which consists of the distinctive star and crescent moon motifs. These motifs are an important element of the building and are repeated throughout the building. They are the symbols widely used with Islamic faith. In addition, there are also the sunburst patterns above the entrance.
After that, I proceed to sketch out the outline of the mosque and digitally apply the motifs and colours. I really love the architecture of the mosque and feel very excited and happy to complete the artwork which took me a couple of weeks.
I had also added characters into the artwork. This year, Ramadan feels special as Muslim friends can celebrate the festival in person.
My illustration focuses on joyous family ties and embracing togetherness. Hope my illustration brings everyone in Singapore closer together and at the same time take a moment to appreciate the beauty of one of the charming iconic architectural mosque in Singapore. Wishing all Muslim friends a happy and meaningful Ramadan !!
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