FOR ART'S SAKE

Four awe- and hope-inspiring proponents of the arts testify to the power of the muse and affirm their passions.

- Indran P

Art is many things. Most crucially, however, it is an antidote against cynicism. And in these most cynical of times, it’s artists that hold a torch for the better side of human nature; affirming to us why living, loving and striving cannot stop, no matter the odds. Robb Report Singapore profiles four torchbearers for the local arts scene who have enriched their respective fields with dedication and a progressive spirit that offers hope and inspiration.

YONG SHU HOONG - poet

Let this sink in: Yong Shu Hoong, one of Singapore’s most celebrated poets, once studied computer science at the National University of Singapore. We may never know how Yong would have fared if he had pursued a career in the technological realm. However, what’s clear is that his decision to veer off the beaten track has yielded rewards for Singapore’s literary scene, as demonstrated by his seven volumes of work.

‘“Poet’ isn’t a job title I’d automatically assume, (even after) 25 years since my first book, Isaac. Figuring out the income stream of this vocation is hard enough. Maybe I feel I still need to continue earning my dues,” he says.

Yong’s writing is a stirring synthesis of formalistic rigour and lyrical heft, structure and melody entwining in revelatory lines brimming with empathy and observational insight, the quotidian crowned as worthy of rumination and celebration. Home, from his second poetry collection Dowhile, captures that essence poignantly, notably in the following lines: “All I need is a stroll / through the labyrinth beneath the Orchard Road junction / And upon surfacing / a skip across the crossing / just before the flashing man turns red”.