top of page

DYCP Portfolio

 

Peranakan Koi, 2019
Acrylic on Oak
24cm x 18cm
Sold to private collector in Singapore

koi.jpg

In this piece, I explored my Chinese heritage, known as 'Peranakan,' and was inspired by my grandfather keeping koi fish in Singapore. I incorporated Peranakan lace patterns into the painting, blending personal memory with cultural symbolism. This marked a shift in my practice, as I began creating in response to my ethnicity rather than solely through European influences. The koi and lace patterns symbolise identity, continuity, and the fusion of cultures shaping my sense of self.

Chinese Folk Tales, 2021
Acrylic on Paper
24cm x 18cm

44C7C410-2EF0-4B8E-8234-C98619F50F05_1_105_c.jpeg

This painting draws from Chinese folk tales, weaving them into a personal narrative through the act of sewing a dress that was passed to me by my mother. The delicate, intimate process of stitching reflects the connection between generations, while the folk tales in the fabric speak to themes of tradition, identity, and the cultural inheritance that shape us. By merging these stories with my own family history, I explore intersections of memory, belonging, and the preservation of cultural heritage.

If Walls Could Talk 2024-2025
Partnership Project - University of Leeds, Harewood House & Beeston Village Community Centre
 

I'm a supporting artist in an ongoing project exploring art and augmented reality in partnership with Harewood House.

Under the lead of Dr Louise Atkinson, we're working to co-create contemporary responses to the historic Chinese wallpaper with Chinese-speaking and wider Asian diaspora communities in Leeds.

Exploring collage, digital photography, 3D scanning and augmented reality in collaborative creative workshops, we're using art to express and celebrate the evolving identities within our community.

 

funded by Arts Council England, Leeds Cultural Investment Programme and the Wallpaper History Society

Lines of Legacy, 2020
Pencil in Pigment Boxes
5cm x 4cm
funded by a Curatorspace Bursary

597F8D30-9266-407F-9D42-5FC806872BE7_1_105_c.jpeg

In this project, I illustrated my grandmother - an artist in her own right - inside the pigment boxes she passed down to me. These boxes, once filled with her artistic tools, now serve as a space to honour both her and our shared creative heritage. Through drawing her, I connected with her artistry and legacy, reimagining our bond through the materials that have shaped both of our practices. It’s a personal exploration of family, memory, and the power of artistic inheritance.

My World My City My Neighbourhood

LEEDS 2023

Burley Lodge Centre

6B966163-D6B6-419D-8A3B-14D276CC98B6_1_1

This eight-month textile project, created as part of Leeds 2023, used a map as a medium to explore and celebrate intercultural connections in Leeds. Through stitching, embroidery, and textile design, we created a visual representation of Leeds’ diverse communities, inviting conversation and reflection on shared stories and traditions. The project served as a platform for cross-cultural dialogue, creating a collaborative piece that reflected the richness of our collective heritage.​

funded by Arts Council England and Leeds Community Foundation Mohn Westlake Fund

Bridge of Magpies, 2024
Watercolour on Paper
42cm x 59.4cm

Bridge of Magpies.jpg

In this watercolour painting, I explore the contrasting symbolism of magpies in European and Chinese folk tales. In European folklore, magpies are often seen as sinister or omens of misfortune, whilst in Chinese tradition, they are a symbol of good luck and central to a well known story of the Bridge of Magpies.

I wanted to capture this dual understanding of the magpie - creating a visual dialogue between these two cultural perspectives and exploring the ways in which myth shapes our understanding of the world.

Tangled Whimbrel, 2024
Watercolour on Paper
42cm x 59.4cm

F4E1DF03-0262-449B-932E-ACD7CB2F8679_1_2

This is a watercolour piece with additional golden threads, and features a whimbrel—a bird that migrates between northern and southern hemispheres, symbolising the different places I call home: the UK and Singapore.

It reflects the entangled communities we form through migration, exploring themes of roots, return, loss, and belonging.

The threads trace our connections between places -  representing complex, overlapping identities - whilst the bird's flight reflects the pull between our origins and the search for belonging.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

©2020 by Cassy Oliphant

bottom of page