Artist
I use art as a medium to convey my philosophy and ideas that connect cultures, religions, and people from all walks of life to address biases, differences, and misconceptions.
Tell us your story, how did you get here?
I’m an architect and a designer by training. I spent a substantial part of my childhood in war-torn Soviet-occupied Afghanistan. As a Singaporean, having lived here for 20 years, Singapore is my home.
An artist of many mediums, my work is multisensory and multidisciplinary, blending art and technology. I use art as a medium to convey my philosophy and ideas that connect cultures, religions, and people from all walks of life to address biases, differences, and misconceptions. Co-existence requires breaking down these barriers in an interconnected, interrelated, and interdependent world. This path has also led me to mentor ex-offenders, helping them with skills to reintegrate into society and the workplace.
What impact have you made in Singapore?
Created history and made Singapore proud – as one of the first countries to display two Singaporean artworks on the International Space Station. Slated to reach the moon no later than 2025, these creations will put the Singapore flag on the moon. I’m the first and only Singaporean to have my work in the first extra-terrestrial art gallery: the moon gallery.
What does 2022 look like for you?
The year started with witnessing the NG17 Northrop Grumman rocket launch to the ISS on 19 February, and speaking about my art on a global platform to spread the message of inclusivity and break biases in our society and workplaces.
I also launched my first NFT art based on the moon cubes currently orbiting the skies of all habitable earth. The uniqueness of this collection is that it inhabits the metaverse and can be traced every few days flying in the sky over any city aboard the ISS. It’ll find a mark permanently on the moon – real art in space and metaspace.
So, it looks like a year of promises. Hopefully, it’ll be a year that ends on a more peaceful note without the threat of war, and we’ll have learnt to deal with the pandemic that has changed and challenged our lives.
What do you love most about Singapore?
Singapore is an international cultural melting pot. The tiny red dot encompasses the world, a melting pot of diverse global cultures, a degree off the equator where the east meets west, and the north meets south. I love its multiculturalism, atmosphere, and organised, structured, and planned systems where encouraged diversity and interconnected living thrive.
Who is your Local Legend, and why?
I’d have to say Lee Kuan Yew for setting the oath to make Singapore what it is today and a beacon of light in global history for years to come.