HOM Art Trans Artist Residency
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
November - December 2019
In late 2019, shortly after graduating from the National University of Singapore with a degree in Southeast Asian Studies focused on Malaysia, I took part in a one-month residency in Kuala Lumpur as I was beginning my journey as a full-time artist. Based in a typical suburb just outside the city centre, the residency became a pivotal and deeply formative experience.
It was my first time living and working outside Singapore for an extended period, and I spent much of my days walking around the city and sketching in neighbourhood eateries, observing daily life, and forming friendships with local residents.
This direct, ground-level engagement with Kuala Lumpur's unique urbanscape spurred a lasting fascination with Southeast Asian urban spaces. It transformed the city from a mere backdrop into a primary site of active research, artistic inquiry, and cultural understanding. I began to view the complex, organic, and often contradictory layers of street life as a reflection of its socio-political history.
Alongside this spatial exploration, I was introduced to the breadth and diversity of Kuala Lumpur’s art scene through various exhibitions, events, and studio visits across the city. Ultimately, the residency proved immensely fruitful, seamlessly merging my academic foundations with new ideas about art making, and marking an important turning point in my practice and perspective.
