Marcos Kueh from Malaysia, represented by The Back Room
How should one approach contemporary art?
It’s almost like reading a book. Even though the book reads a certain way, what you experience is vastly personal. That is why I like to make works that people can experience on a personal level. Even if the texts and words on the works are not read, that’s okay too, as long as you feel something.
I don’t think that there should be a restraint on what you can experience and think. Once the thoughts are there, there should always be the freedom to just ask. I don’t mind confrontational questions, either. I think that it’s healthy to have a lot of curiosity about art and artists.
Alex Face from Thailand, represented by Bangkok Citycity Gallery
What are the biggest challenges facing the art world now?
I think it’s about how we can make art become a part of people’s lives in a way that they don’t see it as alien.We don’t want art to be this thing only outsiders get while the local folks are left scratching their heads. If the folks who live around the art don’t get it, then it’s like we’re just making art for art people.
As for me, when doing street art and spray painting walls in different neighbourhoods, I make it a point to chat with locals and shop owners. It’s a whole different vibe from talking to the gallery crowd. It’s pretty cool to talk to the people who see my work every day. They’re straight up with what they think and feel, and their takes on it can be really eye-opening. You get all sorts of responses—some dig my work and treat me awesome, offering snacks and drinks, while others aren’t fans and let me know it. But that’s part and parcel of creating art in public spaces.
Wyn-Lyn Tan from Singapore, represented by Fost Gallery
How do you continually find inspiration?
I am intrigued by the seemingly invisible forces of energy that surround us, and I am drawn to the unnoticed or overlooked in nature. I am greatly influenced by Eastern philosophies, particularly in the paradox of “qi” as the life force that is both everything and nothing. I find inspiration from observing the nuances of natural ephemera—shifts in light and atmosphere, the blush of dawn on water reflections, the passage of time on oxidising metal. It is from these intimate perspectives where I continually seek a connection with the world around me.
Pinaree Sanpitak from Thailand, represented by Ames Yavuz Gallery
What would you say are the best things about being an artist today?
An artist creates a language to portray thoughts, stories, experiences, ideas, and memories. The vocabulary and structure can be unique, specific or general. It is a freedom in creation, which cannot be taken for granted.
Alvin Ong from Singapore, represented by Ames Yavuz Gallery
What’s something you would like to explore next?
I often see the body as a landscape and vehicle for story-telling. They are often semi-autobiographical but I keep narratives as open-ended as possible at the start and improvise from there. Even though I’m based in London, I visit Singapore two to three times a year and will usually stay for a couple months at a time. This means that I am able to revisit the objects that root me here and [the objects] have begun reappearing in my canvases.
Yim Maline from Cambodia, represented by Richard Koh Fine Art
What are the biggest challenges facing the art world now?
Some of the biggest challenges facing the art world now are centred around war—economic wars, competing on technology, and political conflicts that result in war. Artists’ works are informed by what is happening around them. Mine is no different. Having grown up in poverty and conflict, my artwork attempts to encapsulate the fear and horrible times, to capture that moment in time. It took me a long time to overcome feelings of sadness and hopelessness. In the many stages of grieving, I have arrived at the stage of accepting the situation and possessing the will to survive. Throughout this I have continued to work on my creativity.
Svay Sareth from Cambodia, represented by Richard Koh Fine Art
How do you continually find inspiration?
As my work is informed by painful topics such as war and suffering, sometimes I do not actively seek inspiration for my work. Pain is a powerful emotion and it can motivate you to create art that moves others. The desire to inspire change or create awareness on these topics is an artist’s responsibility and is what drives me to keep creating.
Kanchana Gupta from India, represented by Sullivan+Strumpf
How do you stay true to who you are as an artist?
A research- and process-based approach helps me to stay true to my art practice. Personal connection with a material and subject is important to me as an artist and I take many months to pick up a new material and go deep into its context. My practice is research-based, where each work leads to a series of investigations, and each series becomes the foundation for the next. I work in iterations of a concept, starting with visual and theoretical research, references and frameworks, material studies, choice of a medium, and series of examinations and explorations leading to final works. It takes me many months and years to produce a series of work through a systematic investigation. I deal with conceptual difficulty through more research and uncertainty through more visual studies and explorations.
I am also a hiker, and I apply learnings from my hiking experiences to art making, to keep me true to my path.
The journey is often more important than the destination. Staying true to my conviction is more important than following any trend. Art making is a long journey, and being true to myself keeps me motivated on this path. Being an artist is also about breaking barriers, moving out of my comfort zone, experimenting, and questioning my mental models and conditioning, which keeps art-making fresh and invigorating.
PHOTOGRAPHY JAYA KHIDIR