THE RAINBOW CONNECTION
Female Singapore|January - February 2024
INCLUSIVITY HAS BECOME AN INCREASINGLY HOT TOPIC IN THE ART WORLD, BUT FOR ACCLAIMED BROOKLYN-BASED ARTIST JEFFREY GIBSON, IT HAS DEFINED HIS WHOLE REPERTOIRE. AS A MEMBER OF THE MISSISSIPPI BAND OF CHOCTAW INDIANS AND OF CHEROKEE DESCENT, HE INTEGRATES ELEMENTS OF NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE (ALONGSIDE INFLUENCES FROM MUSIC, FASHION, AND CLUB AND QUEER CULTURES) INTO HIS KALEIDOSCOPIC, CRAFT-INTENSIVE POP ART-INFLECTED WORKS THAT SPAN PAINTINGS TO SCULPTURES. COUPLED WITH A PROCLIVITY FOR COLLABORATIONS (BE IT WITH CRAFTSMEN, OTHER ARTISTS OR EVEN THE PUBLIC), HE AIMS NOT JUST FOR MINORITY EMPOWERMENT, BUT ALSO FOR ART TO HELP BUILD A SENSE OF COMMUNITY FOR ALL IDENTITIES. ON JAN 4, HIS LATEST PARTNERSHIP HITS TOWN: TWO RENDITIONS OF THE LADY DIOR BAG THAT ARE PART OF THE ANNUAL DIOR LADY ART INITIATIVE BY DIOR AND CARRIED AT THE BRAND'S ION ORCHARD BOUTIQUE. HERE, HE GIVES US AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ON HOW HIS WORK AND BAGS - BRING TOGETHER MANY.
NOELLE LOH
THE RAINBOW CONNECTION

DESCRIBE YOUR ARTISTIC UNIVERSE IN JUST A FEW WORDS. “Colour, pattern, density – a mash‑up that opens up space for differences to coexist”

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME AN ARTIST?

“I’ve always been an artist since I was a young child. My parents always handed me crayons, and I drew pictures from my imagination and copied artworks that I saw in books.”

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR MOST EMBLEMATIC WORKS?

“Probably the adorned punching bags (started in 2011 as a way for Gibson to cope with the anger he felt from his encounters with homophobia and racism, this series features the gym accessory vibrantly made over with intricate beadwork and other embellishments laid out in traditional Native American textile patterns, as well as phrases of affirmation from pop culture). People relate to them in very personal ways that reflect their own personal narrative.”

WHAT VALUES DO YOU WANT TO EXPRESS AS AN ARTIST?

“Always radical inclusivity. This means that I want absolutely everybody to feel welcome to contribute respectfully towards establishing collectively meaningful ways forward for all people, and to encourage empathy, humanity and compassion. I look to the past and present for examples of ways in which people have done so, and there are incredible and brilliant people doing amazing things in the world that can help us to develop strategies for a better, more sustainable and equitable future.”

AS SOMEONE WHO’S ALSO INTO FASHION, WHAT DOES THE HOUSE OF DIOR REPRESENT TO YOU?

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January - February 2024 من Female Singapore.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January - February 2024 من Female Singapore.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من FEMALE SINGAPORE مشاهدة الكل
FOREVER YOUNG
Female Singapore

FOREVER YOUNG

NATALIE PORTMAN HAS BEEN THE FACE OF MISS DIOR FOR 13 YEARS AND COUNTING AN UNUSUAL FEAT CONSIDERING THE INCREASINGLY BREAKNECK SPEED AT WHICH POP CULTURE MOVES, BUT MISS DIOR IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE FRAGRANCE.

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3 mins  |
May 2023
THE ART OF HEALING
Female Singapore

THE ART OF HEALING

FRIDA KAHLO CAN BE SAID TO BE AS MUCH AN ICON IN THE REALM OF BEAUTY AS SHE IS IN THAT OF ART. OFFERING A LESSER-DISCUSSED PERSPECTIVE TO THE LATE MEXICAN PAINTER’S STORY IS LAID BARE: FRIDA’S INNER WORLD, AN EXHIBITION CURATED AND PRODUCED BY THE ARTSCIENCE MUSEUM THAT OPENS THIS MONTH AND WHICH HIGHLIGHTS HER MEDICAL HISTORY THAT FOR ALL ITS STRUGGLES BECAME ONE OF HER GREATEST SOURCES OF INSPIRATION. CRISTINA KAHLO ALCALA HER GREAT-NIECE WHO LOANED TO THIS FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND SHOWCASE IN SINGAPORE SOME OF ITS CLOSE TO 40 EXHIBITS, INCLUDING PHOTOGRAPHS, ARTWORKS, MEDICAL RECORDS AND PAGES FROM THE ARTIST’S DIARY SPEAKS WITH EMMA ASHLEE GOH ABOUT KAHLO’S INTERPRETATION OF BEAUTY THAT’S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THOSE BROWS.

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4 mins  |
May 2023
THE EYES HAVE IT
Female Singapore

THE EYES HAVE IT

This month, Chanel launches Ombre Essentielle, a collection spotlighting 14 single eyeshadows in rich yet wearable hues inspired by the maison's heritage.

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5 mins  |
May 2023
DESTINY AWAITS
Female Singapore

DESTINY AWAITS

WITH ITS CLEAN AND MODERN CURVES, THE B.ZERO1 COLLECTION BY BVLGARI HAS LED TO COUNTLESS REINTERPRETATIONS. NOW, A NEW CULTURAL INITIATIVE BY THE ITALIAN LUXURY HOUSE HAS PUT THE SPOTLIGHT BACK ON ITS VERSATILITY AND INNATELY YOUTHFUL SPIRIT. IMRAN JALAL REDISCOVERS THIS GEN Z JEWELLERY ICON IN SEOUL.

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3 mins  |
May 2023
YOU'RE ALWAYS INVITED HERE
Female Singapore

YOU'RE ALWAYS INVITED HERE

CREATIVITY AND COMMUNITY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE DRIVING FORCES BEHIND THE HYPERCOOL JAPANESE SALON GROUP LESS IS MORE, OR MORE AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS LIM. THIS YEAR, IT CELEBRATES ITS 15TH YEAR IN BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE. KENG YANG SHUEN A SELF-PROFESSED FAN AND LONG-TIME CUSTOMER LOOKS AT HOW IT HAS SHAPED CULTURE AS MUCH AS THE HAIR BUSINESS HERE, AND DISCUSSES ITS FUTURE IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.

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9 mins  |
May 2023
MARY, MARY, QUITE EXTRAORDINARY
Female Singapore

MARY, MARY, QUITE EXTRAORDINARY

AT 17 AND HAVING COMPLETED HER GCE O LEVELS ONLY LAST YEAR (SHE SIGNED WITH LOCAL MODELLING AGENCY BASIC MODELS MANAGEMENT IN LATE 2022), THE SINGAPORE-RAISED, INDIAN-ARAB MODEL MARY ROSE JACOB IS JUST GETTING HER CAREER STARTED. ALREADY, THOUGH, SHE HAS BECOME ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE SUBJECTS WHO HAS APPEARED ON THE COVER OF FEMALE FOUR TIMES (TWICE SOLO, TWICE AS PART OF A GROUP), WINNING US OVER WITH HER COMBINATION OF NATURAL GRACE AND PLAYFULNESS; A PERCEPTIVENESS THAT'S BEYOND HER YEARS; AND A DRIVE TO SUCCEED NOT JUST AS A MODEL, BUT ALSO A ROLE MODEL. IN HER FIRST IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH A MAGAZINE, SHE REVEALS TO KENG YANG SHUEN HER OBSERVATIONS ABOUT AN INDUSTRY THAT'S CONSTANTLY NAVIGATING THE TOPICS OF RACE, DIVERSITY AND BEAUTY, AND HER ASPIRATIONS AS A YOUTH.

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5 mins  |
May 2023
THEY'RE JUST LIVING THAT LIFE
Female Singapore

THEY'RE JUST LIVING THAT LIFE

BETWEEN THE 1970S AND '90S, THE LIKES OF THE NEW ROMANTIC MOVEMENT IN THE UK AND THE CLUB KID PERSONALITIES OF NEW YORK CITY STOLE THE LIMELIGHT IN MUSIC AND CLUBBING CULTURE FOR THEIR BRAZENLY OUTRAGEOUS USE OF MAKEUP TO CHALLENGE SOCIAL NORMS AND CREATE SAFE SPACES FOR THE MARGINALISED ALL WHILE HAVING ONE HELLUVA GOOD TIME. FAST FORWARD TO TODAY AND EXPRESSIVE GEN ZERS ARE DOING THE SAME BEYOND THE DANCE FLOOR. KENG YANG SHUEN MEETS FIVE INDIVIDUALS REDEFINING THE POWER OF MAKEUP AND IN TURN BEAUTY, BE IT FOR A NIGHT OUT, ART OR SIMPLY IN THEIR OWN PERSONAL TIME.

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5 mins  |
May 2023
WHAT SHE IS MADE FOR
Female Singapore

WHAT SHE IS MADE FOR

THIS MONTH, SINGAPORE FASHION MODEL CHLOE LAU IS PACKING HER BAGS FOR EUROPE, WHERE SHE WILL TRY TO EXPAND HER BUDDING CAREER ON THE RUNWAYS AND IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS. IF YOU ASK US, THOUGH, SHE ALREADY DESERVES A COVER STORY, SO HERE'S HER FIRST.

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3 mins  |
May 2023
Don't Stop Believing
Female Singapore

Don't Stop Believing

All eyes have been on the man behind the most anticipated debut in fashion this season, but Sabato De Sarno-Gucci's new creative director isn't letting the spotlight get to him. Keng Yang Shuen expounds on why he is the antithesis of this era's celebrity designer - and exactly the kind of figure the industry needs in these times.

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5 mins  |
March 2024
IT'S BEEN A LONG BELIEVING
Female Singapore

IT'S BEEN A LONG BELIEVING

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT TAYLOR SWIFT IS ONE OF THE TOP CELEBRITIES IF NOT THE TOP CELEBRITY ― OF HER GENERATION. SHE WAS TIME'S 2023 PERSON OF THE YEAR AND HER ONGOING THE ERAS TOUR HAS BECOME THE HIGHEST-GROSSING OF ALL TIME. HER TRAJECTORY AND DISCOGRAPHY ARE THE SUBJECTS OF A COURSE AT HARVARD AND IN A WORLD FIRST NEWSPAPERS HAVE TURNED HER INTO A BEAT WITH DEDICATED REPORTERS. THERE'S ALSO LITTLE DOUBT THAT MUCH OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH HER FANS. AS HER CONCERT ROLLS INTO TOWN THIS MONTH, FOUR CREATIVE SWIFTIES TELL US HOW THE AMERICAN IDOL HAS INSPIRED THEM, AND SHAPED THEIR STYLE AND CRAFT.

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4 mins  |
March 2024