Civil Snails

By Serene Keen

The painting captures a quiet, almost intimate moment — three snails working on the face of a recuperating man. The snail does not hurry, nor do they question their path. Instead, they move and rest in tune with the unspoken rhythm of nature, unbothered by the rush of the world around them. The man's face, like a mountain that they are traversing, enjoys their journey and is cleansed by them.

Reflection question: 慢慢的美 — how might we rediscover the quiet beauty of moving slowly in a world that always rushes forward?

About

Serene Keen (黄金红) is a calligrapher and storyteller who weaves her bilingual world—thinking in English and feeling in Chinese — into deeply expressive art. Living in recovery from Schizophrenia, she channels her journey into works that balance order and emotion, echoing the Chinese phrase 序中藏狂 (wildness within structure). Serene works with both traditional ink and digital media, exploring themes of connection, nature, and meaning. Mostly self-taught, she is now pursuing formal studies at NAFA and will soon begin a Master’s in Arts and Cultural Entrepreneurship at NUS. Through her art and advocacy work at the Singapore Association for Mental Health, Serene continues to inspire others by showing how creativity can be a powerful path to healing and understanding.

SKU: SERE-001

Medium: Chinese Ink

Dimensions (WxH): 58cm x 47cm