By Michelle Cheung
Wong Lip Chin: Baby I Nicht You (Oil and acrylic on jute)
Traveling to Singapore in search of the next big artist was not exactly on the top of my mind as I visited this tiny country in Asia last month. But the local art instigators at CulturePush, Ci’en Xu and Michele Adriaens, convinced me otherwise. High hopes were established by these two. To them, twenty-two year old Wong Lip Chin (or Lip, as he is called) “will make it” in the sparse art world of Singapore, where the art climate is generally discouraging for creatives, and in the dense art world of beyond. Lip, in the duo’s preamble to me, is an artist that Singapore has never seen before. His art and the artist’s own personality, in the country’s terms, are uncannily unique, outstanding, and assertive. With some exaggeration, he could just be the Jesus that the country’s art world has been waiting for.
We traveled far from the glitz of Orchard Road to Paya Lebar, an industrial part of Singapore once home to its international airport, to visit Lip’s studio—his father’s car audio installation garage. Its muraled doors stood out among the street of identically painted red garage doors. It was an appropriate introduction to the young artist as I began to understand what Ci’en and Michele see in him. Like most of his peers, he is serving a mandatory term in the army. His dreads are now replaced with a conforming buzz cut. Yes, he sports the distinct Singaporean accent, an aural challenge to foreigners’ ears. But that’s about as Singaporean as Lip gets.
Lip's Studio
Sitting on the carpeted floors of his studio, I quickly learned that understanding Lip was not a pedestrian task. I had to excuse my New York City brain and think of him in the social context of conservative Singapore; stereotypes of the country as a reserved, regimental, and subdued city sounded somewhat true. And Lip, with his rebellious, pompous, out-there, go-getting energy is, naturally, not to everyone’s liking. He was the trouble maker in his years studying printmaking at Lasalle College of the Arts. His “fuck you, fuck all” insubordination left him out of the teacher’s pet roster and, more seriously, jeopardized early opportunities for a National Art Council of Singapore grant. Of course, there are brave supporters who think that his mindset will take him far and away from the currently uninspiring and unsupportive arts world of Singapore. His works have been displayed in various fine art platforms in Asia, including the Taipei Biennial and a solo show at Marina Mandarin as part of their artist-in-residence program. Commercially, Adidas, Esprit, and Dodge Caliber have commissioned his talents, seeking his artistry in creating murals and pop art.
Lip’s energy pulsated off his tall, lanky body as he tried hard to both contain and express his emotions and ideas. Perhaps, it was the nerves of being interviewed. But he later explained, “I find it hard to express myself in words. Sorry if don’t have good grammar. I have limited vocabulary. Art, I think, is my form of communication.”
Scanning Lip’s studio, there are moments when I felt discordance in his series of paintings; each series is somewhat (and sometimes completely) different from the last. But then again, he is still young; his growth can only be measured after his stint in the army and, arguably, when he leaves the constricted art space of Singapore. In his solo exhibition “Now You See,” we met an artist heavily drawn to street art. Hints of Murakami’s superflat style are intertwined with what Lip calls “introspective glimpses of reality.” It was also in “Now You See” that we met Lilou, the cute and tiny representation of the artist that is a cross between Super Mario and Pringles. With Lip, it’s always a case of now you see it, now you don’t. It was easy to pigeon-hole Lip as another pop-art-influenced street artist, but Lilou, Lip’s paints and conversations have quickly moved on.
His preoccupations—to be seen and to be heard—have remained a constant theme in his work. Each canvas hosts a page in his diary and each brushstroke contains an invitation to converse. What Lip lacks in verbal eloquence he overcompensates with the fervor of his paintings. I can imagine the plight of the Singapore artist. Someone as young and bold like Lip, who embraces street and subjects of lust, can easily find Singapore’s square conservatism challenging. It is no wonder that most artists prematurely end their creative careers or face conformity by servicing the specifications of arts councils. I doubt that Lip is the only great artist in Singapore. But there is a reason why my friends at CulturePush think of him as the art community’s sparkle of hope. Perhaps, it’s his drive, his unapologetic dreams of stardom, and his belief that art is his life (a brave proclamation in his world where art is only seen as a hobby) that sets him apart. While other artists are discouraged by the path of the art world (especially in Singapore), the road is endless for Lip.
In less than two year’s time, Lip will be free. He will be free to pursue his dreams of being an art superstar and he will be free from his home country. It is likely that those in the western world would embrace (and normalize) his rebellion. He will finally be able to surround himself with peers and mentors who will feed and support his artistry. He will finally be thrown into the sea of artists who are as hungry as him. Outside of Singapore, he may be finally understood but he may also lose what has set him apart. And, when that happens, what does Lip do?
Lip in his studio
Lip’s recent works can be viewed in his website and at Asian Art Options
Special thanks to Ci’en and Michele of CulturePush
