ART:DIS presents Turning Points, a group exhibition featuring three local artists from 18 January – 12 February 2024 at Selegie Arts Centre as part of Singapore Art Week 2024 (SAW). Curated by John Tung, the exhibition chronicles pivotal moments of change within the practice of Deaf photographer Isabelle Lim, mixed media artist with Down syndrome Fern Wong, and autistic artist Kenneth Lee.

Overcoming personal and professional challenges

Turning Points charts defining moments within these artists’ practices, but also the personal and professional challenges that they have faced in developing their artistic practice. The exhibition manifested after the artists had undergone mentorship programmes with industry veterans such as John Tung and Singaporean multi-disciplinary artist Robert Zhao.

Deaf photographer Isabelle Lim will showcase a series of high-contrast, black-and-white photographs. Titled Live, Love, Travel, the photos capture scenes of residents going about their day-to-day lives to landscapes one might encounter in such high-density cities. Evocative and full of verve, Isabelle’s personal practice in street photography is characterised by two constants – action and juxtaposition. Her ability to draw the eye to the subject was honed through years of just simply walking around our coastal island armed with a camera, as well as careful study of Alex Webb’s and Aik Beng Chia’s works.

Captured over 2018–2022 in Sydney, Seoul and Bangkok, this travelogue serves as a testament to living life to the fullest— a personal revelation Lim experienced following the passing of her uncle. “I see it as a tribute to him. He was the first person who believed in me and nudged me forward to pursue photography 10 years ago,” Isabelle explained. “Uncle Phillip always told me to pursue my dreams, no matter how little they were.”

Originally shot in colour, Isabelle re-edited them into a monochrome series under the mentorship of Robert Zhao Renhui to breathe new life into old images. “In the process of preparing for this exhibition, I’m reminded that time waits for no man. I’ve been told that I’m an overthinker who hesitates a lot,” she shared. “Uncle Phillip was an avid traveller. I hope Turning Points is my pass to start making more plans and memories with loved ones.”

Fern Wong, a visual artist with Down syndrome, will display an entire collection of paper-cut works that attests to her inner passion for creation. She is an up-and-coming artist whose ornate dot paintings previously won awards at the UOB Painting of the Year 2006, the Paralym Art Competition 2018 and more recently took the top prize at the UOL-ARTDIS Art Prize in 2023. Six year ago, she took a pause with the paintbrush, but this did not diminish her desire to create even though she was no longer working on paint and canvas – she recycled church bulletins and papers at home, giving this humble medium a second life. Over a period of 8 years, these little creative exercises developed into an archive of papercuts all neatly kept in plastic files.

Whilst still maintaining her signature style of creating detailed dotted imageries, her practice took on a new dimension with the papercuts and marked a pivotal development from her previous works. Less tightly compacted and with more breathing space akin to vividly-hued webs & netting, she spends hours on end each day in her home cutting, combining and colouring paper. When asked what drives her to dedicate four to five months on a single artwork, Fern simply said: “Art makes me happy. I have a lot of fun with it.”

Fern’s new body of work, which would be transformed into two hanging mobile installations titled NET and JOY, indicates both a relentless need to make art as well as the universal artistic experience of overcoming personal circumstances in the face of life’s difficulties. Through this exhibition, she hopes that viewers will discover that same simple joy she experienced in doing something one loves.

Autistic artist Kenneth Wong will present a 1.5m x 10m expansive illustration, which he will be completing during the exhibition’s run via live drawing sessions. Originally an activity employed as a coping mechanism to occupy his attention as a child, art has now become Kenneth’s ambition. “I want to be a comic artist and publish my own graphic novel,” he shared.

Kenneth started his journey with art since the age of five, today he produces highly detailed scenes of urban life with micron pens. Filled with depictions of people crowding on streets and in public places, Kenneth’s dense compositions showcase his mastery of perspective and spatial design. An occasional sprinkling of otherworldly elements – sometimes fantastical, other times surreal, and largely informed by his favourite artist Kim Jung Gi – adds levity and is a fascinating look into the inner workings of how he processes information. “Many artists express different things in their works. For me, I draw to express myself. Through my art, I hope to showcase a part of myself to others,” he added.

Last year marked the first time that Kenneth starting illustrating in freehand. This was a critical turning point in Kenneth’s practice as he was previously fixated on only inking over a pencil outline, and even the act of inking over the outline is fraught with weeks of hesitation before he makes his final mark. His obsession over detailed precision can sometimes be associated with someone with autism, but not unlike any other artists who desires perfection in their craft.

With no preconceived planning, it is intriguing to watch how Kenneth’s giant art piece (titled THE GREAT SCENE OF THINGS) unfolds as he quite simply draws what comes to mind. “This confidence comes from practice,” he explained. “The more I draw a subject, the more information I build in my memory bank and this allows me to picture it more clearly every time I put it onto paper.”

“Their disabilities have done little to quell Isabelle’s, Fern’s and Kenneth’s propensity to create. I invite viewers to encounter their works of art and in so doing, perhaps find an impetus to question the familiar, the courage to embrace the unknown and most importantly, our own potential for change and progress,” shared John.

Advocating opportunities for persons with disabilities through the arts

Turning Points is just one exhibition in ART:DIS’s upcoming programmes that aims to raise the visibility of disabled artists in Singapore.

“With Turning Points, we seek to champion the work of these three brilliant artists who have grown with ART:DIS over the years, be it through our professional development programmes or annual exhibitions . We hope to remove the barriers of how art by disabled artists are perceived, and bring more diversity and inclusion to our local arts landscape.” said Angela Tan, Executive Director of ART:DIS.

Download the press release here