For this article in the international artist series, we turn to Singapore, featuring six artists who create fantastic work, from stunning 3D art to digital paintings and more! I asked each artist how their country and culture inspired their work, and they delivered fantastic answers. Enjoy!
Hai Ha Dang
Hai Ha is a digital artist and motion designer based in Singapore. His work features powerful 3D illustrations with abstract concepts and shapes. Check out a small selection of his work below, or see more in his portfolio.
The Rules
Singapore is a tiny, yet vibrant country. The transportation makes it easy to travel around, and I love the variation of food that we have here. Singapore has almost everything you could expect from a big, metropolitan city, with an extra bonus that it's clean, green, and super safe.
All Of Me
I believe the rich and diversified culture of Singapore has influenced all the artists here. In my case, I used to live in Russia, Vietnam, and China before moving here. Each place has left a very special touch on me and has definitely inspired my artwork. I've always loved to mix different visual styles from the east and west to try to bring out the best of both worlds. The upbeat and multicultural vibes here have also affected my choices of colors, patterns, and textures.
City Of Stars
Unspoken
Since Singapore is a big hub now, it brings a lot of new opportunities for the creative community here. Some of the most outstanding events are: Singapore Design Week, Siggraph Asia, Singaplural, and Design Trails. We also have many good art schools in town. The community here is not big but it's very active and it's growing fast.
Charmaine Tan
Charmaine is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Singapore. Her work features exceptional digital illustrations inspired by fashion, design and more. Check out a small selection of her work below, or see more in her portfolio.
Conceptual Illustrations – Series 1
I love the budding art scene here in Singapore. There are many amazing and talented creatives here and it is so heartwarming to see people becoming more receptive to the creative industry.
Jurong Lake Gardens
Singapore is a pulsing city with loads of people and many different cultures. I feel this is reflected in the colorful and bold elements I use in my work. It is difficult to pinpoint what makes Singapore's design and art distinct but I always strive to create something that reflects my roots.
Conceptual Illustrations – Series 1
Jurong Lake Gardens
The art community is growing fast. Design and illustration festivals are now commonplace, where in the past you would be hard-pressed to find such events. Seeing more and more people embracing their creativity is very inspiring to me as a young designer.
Ashton Lim
Ashton is an illustrator based in Singapore. His work features bold vector illustrations with epic sneaker illustrations and more. Check out a small selection of his work below, or see more in his portfolio.
Iconic Sneakers #01
Singapore is a tiny country, yet there is always something new to discover.
Let's Learn Driving
Singapore is a fast-paced country and I'm always struggling to keep up. My art work is a reminder to myself to slow down and enjoy the simple things and all the great moments in my life.
Iconic Sneakers #03
Morning Run
It's great to see more and more art/design events pop up every year. I think the art community has done a great job hosting these events so that us creatives can get together.
Nadia So
Nadia is an illustrator based in Singapore. Her work features inspiring digital illustrations partnered with delicate typography. Check out a small selection of her work below, or see more in her portfolio.
Words
I moved to Singapore when I was 17. I love the convenience, safety, and energetic art scene. The airport is like a gateway to different parts of the world. I can easily fly to another country over the weekend and get back to work on Monday again.
Growing
Initially, I was not very optimistic about being an illustrator and artist in Singapore. But to my surprise, Singapore embraces the arts a lot more than I expected. There are many art exhibitions held yearly that keep me motivated and inspired as an artist. There are also many art markets happening weekly and monthly for artists.
Unspoken
Will My Voice Be Unheard Of?
The Singapore art scene is very vibrant, especially the indie art community. There are many different groups which consist of people who are interested in art. In short, Singapore is definitely very vibrant and will keep growing.
Eduardo Pena
Eduardo is a digital artist based in Singapore. His work features electric digital paintings of sci-fi scenes and characters. Check out a small selection of his work below, or see more in his portfolio.
Cosmo-Morfo
In Singapore, there's lot of culture here, and an awesome dynamic and flow of traditions around great food.
Chimbo
Maybe my perception of life helps me to take more risks in my personal projects. Interacting with a lot of different cultures helps me to channel many sources of inspiration.
Wizard Anthologies 1
Wizard Anthologies 2
The art community is diverse, growing and open to development. Art and design is happening at an important time when the country is developing.
Elen Winata
Elen is an art director and illustrator based in Singapore. Her work features delightful vector illustrations of inspiring women and places. Check out a small selection of her work below, or see more in her portfolio.
Phenomenal Women
Despite being small, there's always something to do here! The food scene is thriving and the museums are great. It's also in close proximity to many countries, so it's very convenient for a quick weekend getaway.
Peekture
By living in Singapore, I get the privilege of knowing people from different ethnic backgrounds while getting exposed to their life and culture on a day-to-day basis. From social issues, to the use of color and patterns, it has definitely influenced how I view the world and how I approach my work.
Dogs of the World: Singapore
Stamp: Cities
The art community is growing, and it is really exciting. It is also quite a tight-knit group because Singapore is a small country after all. Everyone is a familiar and friendly face.
Many thanks to the artists who took time to answer my questions and share a bit about themselves and how their country and/or culture has affected their work. You can check out more of their work in the links below:
