Artist David Gerstein talks about bringing colour, energy and optimism to Singapore’s CBD and turning public spaces into living art
Everyone who has passed through Singapore’s CBD has likely seen it — that towering burst of red rising above Finlayson Green. Part sculpture, part spectacle, it resembles a giant Christmas tree frozen in motion, with hundreds of brightly coloured human figures spiralling energetically towards the sky. Yet for all its visibility, few may know its name or the artist behind it. I admittedly did not.
Singapore’s tallest public sculpture, Momentum, standing 18.35m high on one of the city’s shortest streets, was created by renowned Israeli artist David Gerstein and unveiled on New Year’s Eve in 2007. The sculpture features 175 hand-painted figures climbing endlessly upward in a vivid conical swirl. Nearly two decades on, Momentum still feels strikingly relevant: a bold symbol of movement, ambition and the relentless energy of Singapore itself.
Now, almost 18 years later, Gerstein has returned to Singapore to unveil Spring Moments, a new solo exhibition at Bruno Gallery along Tanglin Road. The exhibition brings together 40 works spanning his six-decade career, from his signature metal wall sculptures to vibrant original paintings on canvas — offering a rare look into the mind of the artist whose work has long towered over the heart of the city.
Options met up with Gerstein at the gallery; his affable manner and warm smile made us feel instantly comfortable as we sat down for an interview.
A dynamic symbol of Singapore’s upward progress
The first idea that came to mind was to ask him about Momentum. Gerstein explained: “For my idea, when I thought of what to do, was based on the notion that Singapore society is striving for excellence. And education is very important. So I thought of this structure as a social structure that you start with a large sort of circle. And as you become better, you go up the slope. The scale becomes smaller and smaller until you get to the top, which is the best achievement. Excellence.” With this description, Gerstein certainly captured the “striving to be the best” nature of Singapore’s hardworking citizens and residents.
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Gerstein gave me some other historical perspectives of his own regarding Momentum. His selection to create this sculpture was not automatic; he had to enter an open international competition/tender. All 175 figures in the sculpture were made and hand-painted in Israel before being shipped to Singapore.
Initially, Gerstein had envisioned Momentum entirely in red — both for its striking visual impact and as a safeguard against the harsh tropical sun, which could fade the sculpture over time. But the committee he worked with was so drawn to his signature use of vibrant colours that they persuaded him to introduce a mix instead: roughly half the figures remained red, while the rest burst into colour.
The figures themselves are deliberately ambiguous — neither distinctly male nor female, but human silhouettes rendered, as Gerstein describes, “in an abstract, yet decorative way.” Together, they evoke the diversity, movement and interconnectedness of urban life. “For me, I always thought of Singapore as a vibrant melting pot of all sorts (of people),” Gerstein said.
The committee behind Momentum was determined to keep the sculpture hidden from public view before its unveiling, wrapping the entire structure in canvas shrouds at the project site. For Gerstein, this turned the installation process into something of an imaginative puzzle.
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“I had to use my imagination,” Gerstein recalled. “I had to decide in my mind whether this figure would be colourful or red, or these two would be red, and the next would be colourful.”
In the end, the theatrical reveal unfolded exactly as planned. One spiral tier of the sculpture was unveiled each day, building anticipation until the final tier was revealed on New Year’s Eve. Surprisingly, Gerstein himself was not in Singapore for the inauguration. Still, he remembers the satisfaction of later reading the flood of positive reactions — glowing online reviews and magazine praise celebrating the sculpture that would soon become one of Singapore’s most recognisable public artworks.
The location of Momentum at Finlayson Green is one of the landmark sites for public sculptures identified under the Public Sculptures Master Plan by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), to enhance the character and attractiveness of the CBD. It is also the first commissioned work by Gerstein to be publicly displayed in Southeast Asia.
The rest of Asia came calling
For Gerstein, Singapore’s Momentum became far more than a landmark sculpture — it became a gateway into Asia. “It opened a lot of gates for me in Asia,” Gerstein reflected.
Following the success of Momentum, Gerstein began collaborating extensively across the region, with large-scale installations appearing in cities across China — including Beijing, Shenzhen and Guizhou — as well as in Taiwan’s Hsinchu, Taichung and Tainan, and in Seoul, South Korea.
Much like in Singapore, Gerstein’s bold, colourful works have injected a sense of movement, joy and accessibility into urban landscapes around the world, from London to New York City and Miami. His sculptures transform ordinary public spaces into lively cultural touchpoints — part gallery, part gathering place — where art becomes woven into everyday life. Vibrant, playful and impossible to ignore, they invite both locals and tourists to pause, interact and experience the city differently.
Pioneer of his craft
Recognised for his unique visual language, Gerstein was among the first artists to work with aluminium cut-outs, pioneering a distinctive approach that brings colour, movement and depth to his work. He developed a unique technique of layering painted cut-out steel, creating depth and dimensionality in each piece. Using bold colours, shapes and scenes — like cyclists in motion, bustling city scenes, runners and butterflies — Gerstein’s art pieces celebrate the everyday, expressing ordinary moments through bold colour and movement that bring a sense of joy and happiness to everyday life.
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Philosophy and the pursuit of pleasantness
Speaking about his artistic philosophy, Gerstein described his approach with simplicity: “My idea about doing art is to make something that is pleasant, joyful and happy. It’s pleasant for the eyes.”
For Gerstein, art should function much like music — harmonious, uplifting and capable of bringing people a sense of pleasure. Much of that philosophy, he says, comes from observing nature itself. “Nature, when it wants to attract you, puts flowers to attract the eyes, the bees and people. I use these tactics in my art. Once you have colours, it’s attraction.”
But beyond colour and beauty, Gerstein’s works are equally defined by motion and vitality. His figures rarely appear static; they seem to dance, interact and spill beyond the boundaries of the artwork itself, creating a sense of energy that feels almost cinematic. That dynamic movement reflects his fascination with the rhythm of modern life — fast-paced and fleeting, yet endlessly rich in expression and character.
That instinct toward vibrancy and optimism is deeply personal. Gerstein believes his works mirror the way he chooses to see the world: “I try to look at the good side of things, and in my art convey something pleasant.” In an age where much contemporary art leans toward provocation or darkness, Gerstein’s work stands apart for its unapologetic celebration of joy, movement and life.
Defining moment
Looking back on his career, was there a defining moment when he felt he had truly found his artistic voice? Gerstein says the defining moment came when he chose to remain committed to figurative, narrative art despite the dominance of abstract avant-garde styles in the 1970s.
Wanting a visual language that was uniquely his own, he began experimenting with cut-out, three-dimensional painted forms that removed the background, focusing only on the essence of the subject.
Although the work was initially met with scepticism, a breakthrough came in 1987 when a museum exhibition of his sculptures sold out, giving him and the art world confidence that he had truly found his artistic voice.
A second defining moment would be the decision to move from wood to metal. For about 15 years (1980 to 1995), Gerstein used wood for his sculptures. However, in 1995, he discovered a new technology to cut metal. “It was a revelation to me,” says Gerstein. “Because it enabled me to do something more precise and also to build layers, which I couldn’t do in wood.”
Gerstein then experimented with aluminium (for its lightweight and durable properties) to create vibrant, three-dimensional wall sculptures. The precision laser-cutting technique enabled Gerstein to form intricate shapes of urban scenes, butterflies and urban cyclists. The forms are then hand-painted with durable automotive-grade paints, giving them a high-quality “showroom” finish.
Cyclists and Butterflies
On why he likes cyclists, Gerstein said: “Bicycling was something that was part of my youth, and I thought it was a good subject for my work.” As for butterflies? Gerstein explains that the butterfly motif emerged almost accidentally during his exploration of Pop Art imagery. Wanting to reinterpret the familiar image of lips in a way that felt his uniquely, he used butterflies as a metaphor for softness, fragility and sensitivity — qualities he felt could transform a hard metal sculpture into something emotionally delicate. So he covered his entire art piece of lips with butterflies.
The resulting work, Hot Lips, became an unexpected success, selling out quickly and receiving strong acclaim. What began as an artistic experiment eventually evolved into one of his signature visual motifs, with butterflies becoming a recurring symbol throughout his work, both indoors and in outdoor sculptures set within nature.
A standout piece in the exhibition is Life Style, a large-scale wall sculpture featuring two figures in black running and surrounded by beautifully coloured butterflies. Gerstein explains that this work was inspired by ideas of wellbeing, movement and quality of life, depicting a couple running through a vibrant cloud of butterflies as a celebration of freedom, nature and vitality. To create contrast, he rendered the figures as dark silhouettes so they would stand apart from the colourful butterflies rather than blend into them — a tension between opposites that reflects his broader artistic style, often balancing painting and sculpture, 2D and 3D, lightness and structure.
Doing what you love
Gerstein says art was never simply a career choice, but something that “chose” him from childhood. Despite warnings from his family about the uncertainty and struggles of an artist’s life, he felt compelled to pursue it because he could not imagine doing anything else. Rather than following a safer, more conventional path, he believed it was important to fully commit to what he truly wanted to do, even without guarantees of success.
A key theme in his reflection is the importance of taking risks and avoiding regret. He recalls meeting many people trapped in careers chosen for them by others, and says he never wanted to live with the feeling that he had not at least tried to pursue his passion.
Gerstein takes pride not only in building a successful career, but in creating works that have become part of public and cultural memory — from monuments and sculptures across different countries to images people instantly recognise as his own. Inspired by the enduring legacies of great artists throughout history, Gerstein believes art is a way to leave something meaningful behind for future generations. Looking back, Gerstein says he would not choose any other path if he had to start over again.
He did it his way
Returning to his iconic sculpture Momentum in Singapore’s CBD, I thanked Gerstein for bringing such a vivid sense of energy, optimism and movement into the heart of the city. For Gerstein, creating that emotional connection is at the very core of what art should do. “In a way, I’m not a writer, I’m not a musician,” he reflected. “I communicate with people through my art, through my visual images — and I enjoy it very much.”
Rooted in optimism and joy, Gerstein’s art draws inspiration from Henri Matisse’s belief that art should bring comfort and pleasure — “like sitting in an armchair”. Gerstein hopes his works do exactly that: make people smile, feel uplifted, and continue to discover new layers of movement, colour, and detail over time.
Looking back on his decades-long career, Gerstein says he has no regrets. Borrowing from Frank Sinatra’s famous refrain, he says he “did it my way” — staying true to his own artistic vision rather than copying trends or following others. From the very beginning, Gerstein was determined to create work that was unmistakably his own, leaving behind not just sculptures and paintings, but a lasting sense of joy, movement and life itself.
Exhibition Details
Dates: April 29 to May 31
Venue: Bruno Gallery, 91 Tanglin Road, #01-03 Tanglin Place, Singapore 247918
Admission: Free
