'Someone we’re proud of': Residents & family remember late S’pore uncle, 83 who made twig art in Pek Kio

Residents and family remember Uncle Thien, the 83-year-old who went viral for his spontaneous twig art in Pek Kio estate, as a man who quietly devoted time to his passion.

One resident said that his absence will be felt in the estate.

Uncle Thien passed on Jul. 2.

Someone we are proud of: Resident

One resident, Mike, recounted to Mothership the times he had encountered Uncle Thien.

He showed a few photos of Thien's work, which he had taken over the years.

One of Uncle Thien’s usual spots was the corner of cement pavement, perched atop a grass verge behind the food court at 44 Owen Road.

The trees nearby supplied Thien with his medium of choice.

“When I come by to buy dinner for my family, about [7pm], I always see him in this spot, doing his art,” Mike, who has lived in the estate for about 10 to 12 years, said.

“He's a person that doesn't talk much, very quiet person, and he will just do his art, and then residents will just stand around and appreciate what he's doing,” Mike continued.

Thien’s artistic inclination is well known by residents in the area, Mike said. When residents from beyond visit the estate, Thien’s artworks have similarly impressed them.

Mike described the 83-year-old as someone “we are proud of”.

When asked if he had any parting words for Uncle Thien, he said, “I’d like to thank him for his artwork that he has shared with all the residents here.”

Quiet, good man

Uncle Thien was unmarried. He lived alone with a roommate, 69-year-old Uncle Choo.

While Choo has shared the house with Thien for about five years, he said they have both lived in the Owen Road estate for decades and have known each other for just as long.

Speaking to the media in an interview in their home, Choo described Thien as a “good man”.

He recalled with a laugh the times when he would cheekily tease Thien while he worked on his twig art.

But he said Thien would never anger, and would simply get back to it.

Thien also worked with more conventional mediums and tools, such as pencil on paper.

Choo showed off a collection of such work by Thien, flipping through a booklet of A3-sized pages that featured various portraits of opera characters.

Uncle Thien struggled with asthma

According to Choo, the 83-year-old struggled with asthma.

Thien had experienced trouble breathing, and on Jun. 20 at about 2am, Choo pushed an emergency help button at home that called for an ambulance.

He also shared that before Thien’s passing on Jul. 1, Thien was hospitalised for 11 days.

When asked how he felt about Thien’s passing, Choo took it in his stride.

“This is life,” he commented.

What’s more important is to pass without pain or suffering, the 69-year-old opined.

When asked about his parting words, Choo continued to appear unfazed and said he would tell Thien himself if he were there.

He quipped that he had gone up to Thien’s casket, teased him one last time by knocking on the glass, and said, “Hey, go well.”

Lifelong passion for Chinese opera

When Mothership visited Uncle Thien’s wake on Jul. 3, some residents were seen visiting and paying their final respects.

Thien’s wake was organised by his nieces and nephews, who were present at the wake.

One of them, Thien's niece, told Mothership that Thien remained passionate about Chinese opera over the years.

This passion is reflected in his artworks, which often feature opera characters.

On how this passion came to be, she said, “I don’t know because I was very young… I know he just loves it.”

“I don’t know who the characters he drew were, I just know they’re from opera,” she added.

She also shared that Uncle Thien didn’t start out making artworks, but rather with singing Chinese opera songs.

As he got older, drawing and making art became more accessible to him.

She similarly remembered her uncle as a man who enjoyed his peace.

"Thank you, it's nothing"

In fact, Uncle Thien himself had expressed his shyness about being in the spotlight.

"I've never thought that I'll become so popular here. A lot of people are looking for me. It's embarrassing," Thien told Mothership in a 2020 interview.

Thien was full of laughter then as he spoke about his passion and his experiences with his newfound fame.

Regarding the compliments paid to him about his art, Thien said they were great encouragement to him.

"Thank you, it's nothing," Thien shrugged.

At the end of the interview, Thien reflected on the fleeting nature of his artwork, sharing about how the wind would take it away sometimes, prompting him to restart the creative process.

He shared his nugget of wisdom on life, saying in a mix dialect and Mandarin:

"When you're happy, you don't get old. Happy ah. Life is just a few decades. It passes you in the blink of an eye. Don't worry too much. If it's meant to happen, it will. If it's not meant to happen, it won't. Life is short, we should be contented with what we have."

Final goodbye

Thien’s niece revealed that the night before his passing at the hospital, Thien was still jovial, with the family sharing laughs alongside the 83-year-old.

Uncle Thien was the youngest of five siblings, Thien’s niece said.

Her late dad, who was the eldest among them, doted on Uncle Thien the most.

The niece assured, “My dad will be there for him. No need to worry.”

Uncle Thien’s cortege departs on Jul. 4.