I want to disrupt gently and speak honestly

The gregarious Yang Derong, who turns 60 on Sept 11, was not always an artist.

- Clement Yong

In the 1980s, he started out as a model before finding his groove as one of a bright young wave of Singaporean designers.

He left to work with French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, then spearheaded visual branding at relaxed luxury retailer Esprit International.

But the creativity of the self-described "flaneur" could never be contained, and by the 2010s, Yang was designing theatre costumes for iconic productions such as Beauty World in 2015.

He has more recently made a name for himself pursuing independent projects, notably his viral Face Of The Day series in 2017 and 2018, for which he photographed himself in different get-ups for a year, including as Dracula, Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun and US President Donald Trump.

Yang's project for Singapore Art Week in 2025 involved a giant digital "loom" weaving ikat "fabric" composed of animated soundwaves drawn from his recorded conversations.

His latest series, The Four Gentlemen In Nanyang, mixes Chinese brushwork with acrylic, batik, charcoal, graffiti, dyes and Shanghai ink in a "rojak" interpretation of the traditional Chinese symbols of plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum.