“I am interested in offering a mirror, or a window for the viewers to look into their own imagination, a hybrid of the unexpected, the familiar, and the strange. ”
Born in Indonesia of Chinese, Indonesian, and Dutch heritage, Singaporean painter Susan Olij is a multilingual, third-culture artist and traveler since childhood. She works both en plein air and in the studio, relying on life painting and on-location sketching to pursue material experimentation that captures movement and spontaneity. She holds an MA in Fine Arts from LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore, and studied Fashion Design at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. She teaches travel sketchbook practice at LASALLE and has exhibited in Singapore, Indonesia, France, Spain, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia.
She's a painter who can't sit still. Her work explores what happens when you're always the outsider—born here, raised there, never quite fitting anywhere. Through paint, pencil, watercolor, batik dyes, and wax, she creates chaotic, layered pieces reflecting a scrambled identity: part western philosopher, part Hokkien Bibik, part Bahasa Jawa speaker, part kid with a paintbrush.
This mess comes honestly. Globe-trotting childhood, stern Dutch grandmother, New York garment district hustle, Tintin comics in three languages, batik lessons in Yogyakarta—it all went into the blender. Her work breaks rules while tipping its hat to the British and American art schools that tried to tame her. Each piece functions as slow-release chaos: part mirror, part window, designed to surprise, delight, or gently befuddle you.
Susan’s currently not accepting commissions, but browse her growing artworks series here: www.susanolij.com , and her community Instagram is here @olijstudio_travels .
Testimonials
“We have been keen collectors of Susan Olij’s art for many years; it has been a joy to follow her journey through illuminated drawing books, true plein air watercolours of local scenes to mysterious and evocative works on wood. Always expressive and vivid, she captures the world with imagination and fresh, arresting nuances and perspectives. A wonderfully curious, engaged and authentic artist.”
Professor Steve Dixon and Mrs Prue Dixon
“I have collected Susan Olij’s artworks for years, and her ability to translate everyday moments into powerful visual stories is exceptional.
Susan’s work stands out for its honesty, intelligence, and lasting emotional impact.
Her presence on Canvas Connections highlights the caliber of artists the collective brings together.”
Gianmarco Colasanti
“I love Susan’s work. It is always evolving as she explores new things and approaches, so that I am always curious to see what will come next. On second thought, maybe evolving, with its implication of linear progression, isn’t the right word. Perhaps metamorphic would be a better word choice, as it feels to me as though Susan’s art is affected and shaped by what it and she do and encounter. I also admire the way she can be s self referential without ever slipping into solipsism. One more thing: I easily fall for a great line. And Susan’s lines are exquisite: assured, precise, evocative. "
Thomas Wiles
“I started collecting Susan’s paintings as I am drawn to the way she captured the energy of mundane scenes from her hawker series. Later on, I started collecting more of her abstract paintings, one of which is her works during her residency in Spain back in 2024, and recently, her Plein Air with Sounds series. Those pieces appealed to me from the gut, and they seemed to transport me to a different emotional plane.”
Sherlee Choliluddin
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Solo Exhibitions
2014Priceless, Artistry, Singapore
2011Never Odd or Even, Puri Art Gallery, Jakarta
2007Primadonna - a semi-sculptural solo exhibition, Tavolo@ Boon Tat, Singapore
Zerolinguistic - a solo exhibition of concrete art, Instinc Studio Gallery, Singapore
2006Undeclared Existence - Solo Exhibition, Pitch Black Gallery, Singapore
Selected Group Exhibitions
2026Points of Re-articulation: On the Pedagogical life of drawing, LaSalle College of the Arts, Project Space, Singapore 15 Jan- 28 Feb 2026
Art Picnic, Instinc, Singapore Art Week. 22-31 Jan 2026
2025Sense of Self, Selegie Art Centre, December 2025
Affordable Art Fair, Singapore, 13-16 November 2025
Art in the Open, Green Acres Gallery, Wexford, Ireland, 25-27 July 2025
City Roots, Drawing Etc, 62A Arab Street, 21-27 April 2025
Drawn to Life, Selegie Art Centre, March 2025
2024PLost & Found, Selegie Art Centre 22-24 Nov 2024
Spectra, Selegie Art Centre, 29 Nov - 1 Dec 2024
2023Memories@58, USK Singapore x URA, 12 Aug - 14 Oct 2023
2022SG Sketchers Group Exhibition, 3-5 June 2022
A Garden of Heritage: Landscapes and Landmarks of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, USK Singapore x Singapore Botanic Gardens, 18 Oct - 13 Nov 2022
2011
Brainwaves, Robots, and The Flying Bicycle, Group Exhibition, Instinc Space, Singapore
2010
3331 Presents Tokyo, Command N Regional Code Asia Project 3331 Art Chiyoda, Single Channel Screening, Tokyo
Seven Day Weekend- L’Ecole de Beaux Art, Paris, France
2009
Constellations Video Art Project – In Between Spaces Art Collective. Brisbane, Australia
A Group Exhibition, Post-Museum Singapore
MEME- Masters of Art Fine Arts Exhibition 2009, ICA Galleries, LaSalle, Singapore
Images of Indonesia- Indonesian Heritage Society, Jakarta, Indonesia
2007
1x1x1- FOST Annual Exhibition – Fost Gallery. Singapore
Emerging Talent: four for the future – Sunjin Galleries, Singapore
2005
Me – Group Exhibition, Block43 Studio Gallery, Singapore
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LaSalle College of Fine Art/Open University, Singapore – M.A. Fine Arts
Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, USA -Fashion Design & Merchandising
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2025
Shortlist UOB Painting of the Year 2025
Long List Jackson’s Art Prize 2025
2009
Third prize and Merit Award, Art and Photography Exhibition, Indonesian Heritage Society, Jakarta
2008
LaSalle Scholarship by Merit for MA Fine Art Degree
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2025
Espacio Lavadero, Granada, Spain
2019
Campos De Gutierrez, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
2014
Centre de Recerca I Creatio Casamarles, Catalonia, Spain
2010
A Window until the Rains Come, ALBB Saigon Open Studio program, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
2008
Taipei Drift, International Art Workshop for Art Academia. Taipei, Taiwan
Canserrat International Art Residency, El Bruc, Spain
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2020 - present
University of the Arts |LaSalle College of the Arts, Short Courses
2006 - present
Olij Studio – Founder Artist & Educator, Singapore
2010 - 2019
LaSalle College of the Arts, Singapore, Part-Time Lecturer – Fashion
Design Professional Development Lecturer – Fine Art, Drawing & Illustration
1997 - 2006
Halmode Apparel Inc, Head Designer – New York, USA & Singapore
Cinematic Amelie 76 × 55cm Watercolour on stretched paper
A Fifth Element 76 × 55cm Watercolour on paper
Fight Club 76 × 55cm Watercolour on paper
Deep Forest 100 × 150cm Watercolour on stretched paper
Wong Kar Way 76 × 55cm Watercolour on paper