Vol 7 No. 1 January - June 2008 - Faculty of Law - National ...

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We hear Aaron’s a poet. Could you tell us a little about him
and the dynamics the both of you share
Yes, Aaron’s a poet and he’s released his second book of
poems titled Five Right Angles. Aaron’s my soul mate and he’s
really supportive of my work. We’re both very open
to each other’s ideas. I like to get Aaron involved
in my work, because he’s got an artistic eye and
his comments are very helpful when I am working
on a piece. I too pitch in with my comments when
Aaron’s working on his poetry. And, while there are
moments where we might disagree with each other
on certain things, there is mutual respect and the
matter is usually resolved sooner rather than later. It
also helps that he is not the “litigious” sort!
Now, back to art. Did you have a favourite portrait
in the Parables Collection
My favourite was not seven times, but seventy times
seven. It was a painting that fell into place very
quickly with the model’s pose resonating with my
own interpretation of the story. The execution of the
illustration was demanding though. It was quite a
challenge trying to capture the texture of the blue
skirt but in the end it was all worth the effort. I felt
that this portrait was most visually appealing to me.
Do you have any gripes about Singapore’s visual art scene
I do feel that there aren’t many art collectors who take
collecting seriously. This is not helping the local scene because
there simply is no market locally for works of art.
What do you think could be done to improve the situation
I think the key is in educating the young. I used to teach art
at a secondary school. Sometimes, I found it difficult to get
the necessary support to go about implementing ideas that
would help inculcate an interest in art
among the children. I recall I used to bring
some students of mine on excursions to art
exhibitions. On some occasions, I had to
pay for the bus ride for these children out
of my pocket. But it was very rewarding as
most of the kids were genuinely interested
and I found them engaging with the works
they were exposed to. Of course there were
some children who weren’t interested at
all…
What are your plans for the near future
I have plans for two new collections. I
hope to finish the first collection sometime
in 2008 and the second one will probably
be a little later. I am also thinking about
furthering my studies with a Masters
in Fine Art; but that would depend on
whether I get a scholarship. Hopefully, I
will get the chance to show some of my work overseas. I’ve
been told that there’s an interest in the Philippines for my type
of art work so that could be a possible avenue; maybe even
New York or Australia. Things are pretty much in flux now.
Interviewed by Ramesh Kumar ’07
Lunch with former Chief Justice and NUS President
1 October 2007
From left to right -
Professor John Wong (Dean, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine), Professor Tan Cheng Han SC ’87 (Dean, Faculty of Law),
Professor Tan Eng Chye (Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost), Mr Yong Pung How,
Professor Shih Choon Fong (President, NUS), Associate Professor Ng-Loy Wee Loon,
Associate Professor Ng Siew Kuan, Elizabeth
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