The Art of Khik Weng Keat

  Interspecies Teamwork , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 24" X 24" This painting is inspired by a popular Chinese nursery rhyme about pulling carrots (拔萝卜) . In the painting, six animals help each other to pull a colossal carrot: a hamster, rat, rabbit, monkey, kangaroo and elephant, in a carrot patch. The animals are arranged according to their size, with the hamster, the smallest of the six animals, being the first to pull the carrot and is helped by larger animals in increasing size until the elephant, the largest and strongest of the group, which is placed at the very back.  The artist intends to convey the message of teamwork among different groups, and that many hands make light work, no matter how strong one is.

  Flightless Wonders , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 24" x 31.5" All birds have wings, but not all of them can fly. These birds are mostly big and heavy, with some being the heaviest and tallest birds to walk the earth. They bear various features different to other birds. For example, ratites, the family which contains the ostrich, emu, cassowary and rhea, have downy feathers which lack the smooth, flat, airproof surfaces which other birds have for flying. They have sturdy, strong legs that allow them to run fast. The world's biggest and heaviest bird, the ostrich (left) is also the only bird with just two toes on each foot. It is also the fastest running bird, reaching speeds of up to 60 km per hour (37 mph). There are three species of rhea, which is a type of ostrich-like flightless bird that lives on the plains of Brazil and Argentina in South America. The greater rhea ( Rhea americana , top right) looks like a small ostrich but has more feathers on its neck, larger wings a...

  High-Flying Hunters , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 31.5" X 24" Birds of prey are characterized for their sharp, hooked beaks and curved claws called talons. Most are masterful flyers, able to stay in the air for hours while searching for prey with incredibly sharp vision. There are around 295 species of birds of prey, and they range across a huge variety of habitats, from mountains to rainforests. The golden eagle (top) is often called the "king of birds" throughout its range. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle, ranging throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It hunts small mammals such as rabbits and squirrels as well as small birds. It lives in nests called eyries atop high cliffs, where pairs return to breed or raise their young year after year. For centuries, this species has been one of the most highly regarded birds used in falconry, the activity where humans keep and use birds of prey to hunt. Because of its hunting prowess, the golden eagle is rega...