This piece was created for The Piccolo Gallery’s commission call, themed 'Juxtaposition', an open prompt inviting artists to interpret the idea in their own way.
This illustration takes place in a whimsical, cloud‑like eggplant world, with two characters reaching out toward one another. It’s small in size at just 7 x 5", but full of layers, tiny details, and a sense of oddity and fun that makes the scene feel lively and intriguing.
This 7x5" illustration, will speak to those who enjoy art that’s a little unusual and carries a touch of humour. You’ll appreciate xinleh’s use of the eggplant as a symbol of cultural and language differences — an object with different names depending on where you are. It’s a small illustration with a big heart and plenty of charm.
xinleh's work will be available for purchase at our Community Online Auction in Oct 2026. Purchases help uplift an everyday artist and fuel The Piccolo Gallery’s commission model.
This piece is an ode to the cultural differences and similarities that tie us together— through the common eggplant, I find it fascinating that the same object carries different names in different places.
In Singapore, where I'm from, it is called a 'brinjal', a name frequently used in Southeast Asia and South Asia. In Canada, it's called an 'eggplant' and in the UK 'aubergine'. These terms speak to the way we experience the world, how our backgrounds shape reality.
Partly inspired by 'The Creation of Adam' by Michelangelo, I am also interested in the way people connect through language and culture. Our sense of belonging is closely tied to the connections we forge.
xinleh is an illustrator whose works capture the absurdity of childhood, exploring the intimacy of human relationships within fragmented realities. She is inspired by her cross-cultural background, born in Beijing, growing up in Singapore and living in Vancouver, British Columbia.
She works mainly in watercolour and markers, in small, intimate sizes that feel like a glimpse into another universe. She seeks to create multidimensional worlds that bring her characters together, while also highlighting their isolation, vulnerability and the strange beauty of everyday moments.
In her free time, she loves to write and play the piano. Her favourite game is Tetris.
Her artwork can be found in the private collections of Singapore, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Canada.
