Victor Chin's watercolours of shophouses return after 20 years

Chin's watercolour work of 97, Jalan Hang Jebat in Melaka, a two-storey clan house with the balcony on the upper floor divided into a three-part Roman style structure, with two smaller arches flanking one large arch. Photos: Victor Chin

Victor Chin sounds so calm and collected talking about revisiting the past that you are convinced he is indeed one with the shadows and light so evident in his watercolour works.

However, not unlike the rather despondent tales behind these charming and colourful pre-­Merdeka shophouses, Chin has a story of his own to tell.