(in Prabal Gurung of course!)

Doesn’t she look radiant! I love purple and very grateful Prabal Gurung (Singaporean Designer) has put it on the radar again through the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. I’d be smiling that hard too if I was wearing such talent!Prabal Gurung’s Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear collection as seen on style.com.

]]> http://mariafung.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/local-creative-talent-ignored-by-singapore/ Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:25:10 +0000 mfung http://mariafung.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/local-creative-talent-ignored-by-singapore/ I can’t agree any better with this article: Singapore Designers “lack identity”?

I recalled a time when I was in my first year in my graphic design course in UK, I returned to Singapore during my holidays. As any overseas Singaporean can understand, the way one sees home after travelling out to the outside world will never be the same again. And this has been true ever since. I was invited to a night party with a few other of friends. There, I met a lady, a local who owns a gallery. We started talking about arts scene in Singapore in general. Our conversation converged to an interesting path when I brought up the subject on how overseas designers seem to be favoured over our local designers and artists. The lady abruptly cut in, emphasizing London’s importance as the place to make it and why locals should go there and make themselves a name before coming back. Despite my expression of disgust at such statement, she continued that locals complain too much and do not do anything, and that she would rather have someone who have “made it” exhibit in her gallery.

However sad it may be true if one was to take from her marketing side of view, I was in total disagreement all the way till this day. If she ever were to step in London, she would be overwhelmed by how much support the UK government has provided to nurture growing young talent and pump help to innovative start-ups, which are sorely lacking in MNC-kissing Singapore. The lady did not expect that in a few years time, I did make it in London, thanks to my 2nd place winning at Cut&Paste 2009, and various projects that had landed me big clients. And I won’t be interested in exhibiting in her gallery anytime soon even if she were to invite me to.

My tours in LaSalle and NAFA, Singapore’s 2 main art colleges, have proven otherwise, that the locals are very talented but receive little support, the unforgiving tidal waves of public perception that has always been typically “West is Best”, thanks to our media which continue to glorify its colonial hangover, and not to mention a society where the arts are poorly perceived as “futureless” since it “cannot earn as much money as a lawyer or doctor”.

Some of our local photographers like Russel Wong and Leslie Kee who have taken photos of famous international models and celebrities have since remain overseas since Singapore gave little chance and acknowledgement for their fledgling years. Russel Wong once mentioned that he found his fellow western photographers more favoured in Singapore despite producing mediocre work.

Caucasian and foreign models are preferred over the local models, as some of my local model friends can attest to. Evidence? Just glance through any fashion magazine in Singapore and one can hardly believe its an Asian magazine! One Singaporean model (forgotten her name) was interviewed by Singapore Straits Times, sharing how she was rejected by all model agencies here because she “was ugly”. With the help of a photographer friend, she managed to create her own portfolio and flew to New York. She succeeded there as one of the top models.

My list can go on and on, about other Singaporeans who have since left their homes and never return, because the outside world could give them a chance to fulfill their dreams while home would not even cast a glance unless they made it outside. While it is true in instances whereby overseas does give better exposure due to the limitation in resources and land size in Singapore, overseas exposure does not necessarily mean a better designer. Rather, a good designer/artist is one who can solve problems, come up with solutions that will work and that will increase sales for the client. Are there good designers and artists here? Definitely! And many of them have not even touched overseas. The difference between a good designer/artist and a famous designer/artist is self-promotion. Tear down the fame and networks, and you will realise we are just as good as anyone out there when we work hard and smart.

As the government has finally pumped in investments and support for the arts, and parents relax on their expectations on their children’s future, the future is more hopeful, but it is still a long way to go.