Over the years, Paul Koh has created a unique body of captivating and vibrant cat-inspired art that has been extremely well received and sought after. Quirky, amusing and karmic, Paul's paintings unveil an “in-between” world where innocence and mischief go hand in hand. In each of his paintings, the cats (based on his real-life pets, Halo and Angel) is the artist’s gateway to a new space, a wonderland where emotions are innocent enough to run free, and dreams more than just make-believe. The trademark 'eyes-wide shut' and 'ear-to-ear grin' of the Catmasutra cats embody this deep-seated childhood innocence cum devil-may-care bravado. This is the essence of Paul's Catmasutra paintings...
Paul has been illustrating and drawing ever since he was a child. Growing up with cats also means that his two passions are inextricably linked together. Drawn to a random and sometimes nonchalant synthesis of material, Paul possesses entire swatches of reality with which to pull out treasures from the everyday and transforming them into the mythical. Paul experimented with different forms of expressions (from portraiture and figurative to pop and abstract) before finding his element in his “Catmasutra” series, which inevitably continues the catty tales of his cats, Halo and Angel. Paul’s approach to art resembles the personality of the cat – playful, curious, unpredictable and quirky.
Recent exhibitions included the "CatmaSutra Series" with shows in 2007, 2006 and 2005 at Utterly Art, the first catmasutra exhibition in 2004 at 37 the bar, 37 Keong Saik Road, "Fluid Abstrations" at The Ritz Carlton Millenia and “The Gallery” at tcc – the coffee connoisseur. Some of his works are currently displayed at the Blue Lotus Fine Art Gallery and Utterly Art. Paul was also invited to participate in a group exhibition alongside Michelle Chang, Chng Seok Tin and Susie Wong at a charity event in aid of AWARE (The Association of Women for Action & Research) held at the Singapore History Museum. 3 of his paintings including “Fat Cat” (sold appeared on last year’s series of Christmas cards commissioned by the Cat Welfare Society.
In July 2009, Paul held his first solo exhibition abroad in Hong Kong with resounding success. This exhibition, “catmaSutra – From the Depths of my Lullaby”, was jointly organized by Blue Lotus fine art (Singapore) and Hong Kong’s Harbour City Galleries.
Paul today, heads the creative team in Interakt, an award-winning full service communications company. He continues to perceive his professional work with an artistic eye that tends toward the melding of art and design.
Paul won a ‘distinction’ in the interactive media category of the Singapore Design Award 2000 for Sony’s PlanetMG Website. He also won third prize for his short story “Quivering” at biannual SPH-NAC Short Story Writing Competition, The Golden Point Award 1999. Paul also judged at several inter-school web page competitions held by East One Cluster secondary schools in 2001. He also produced, art-directed and co-wrote a short film for the Singapore Film Festival' 97. Several of his poems can be found in a collection of poems called “A Far Off Place, The National Library of Poetry 1994”.
