JAYA KHIDIR
24, PHOTOGRAPHER, BA IN FASHION MEDIA AND INDUSTRIES, LASALLE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS
Who or what inspires and informs your work?
“In my formative years in polytechnic (he studied film), I looked up to many filmmakers and artists such as Yasmin Ahmad, Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Lynch, Yasujiro Ozu, Johannes Vermeer, Jean-Luc Godard, Stanley Kubrick and many more. The manner in which they present their work inspired me a lot and learning “the why” gives a lot of insight as to how they, coupled with their own perspectives, arrived at a certain aesthetic and narrative. In that sense, there is some form of classicism in the way that they present their work, with the emphasis on form, simplicity, proportion, clarity of message, restrained emotion, as well as explicit appeal to the intellect, that informs my own work. I feel that the works of the late Yasmin Ahmad in particular, have shaped my identity as a creative as of recent years, because of how she manages to intersect social issues such as race, religion, economic inequality and sexuality in her works. To tackle multiple issues in a single medium is a feat in itself.”
Favourite work to date: “
A hypothetical fashion brand named Sopan (modest in the Malay language) that my classmates – Wahidah Sofia, Jane Chong, Nafhah Noor Tijany – and I worked on. I think it is my favourite work because of the themes that hit close to home and how they intersect with one another. The visual language of the work is an intersection of modesty, queerness and ethnic tradition – these are three issues minority communities face, as to how they should present themselves through dress and fashion, especially here in Singapore.”
BENITA LEONG
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Female Singapore.
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This story is from the March 2020 edition of Female Singapore.
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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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