Aspiring Creatives From NTU's School Of Art, Design And Media Share Their Journeys
It’s traditionally the time of year when tertiary institutions hold their graduation ceremonies. The talents here were all recommended by their respective design schools as the cream of the crop. What they all have in common: sharp ideas, soft power and zero interest in playing it safe. Here’s a look at each of their final‑year projects, or FYPs, as well as attitudes towards pursuing a life in the arts.
SIEW PNG SIM, 26, BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS IN ART, DESIGN AND MEDIA (PHOTOGRAPHY), NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY’S SCHOOL OF ART, DESIGN AND MEDIA
Siew Png Sim enjoys manipulating his images to encourage people to think more deeply – his final‑year project titled Installing a Forest, for example, uses photography and mixed media to explore the disconnect between the reality of Johor’s Forest City and its developers’ ambition. And if you’re wondering, yep, Sim is also the hip‑hop artiste who goes by the stage name Mary Sue.
ABOUT HIS FYP: “My project centred on Forest City (an extravagant mixed‑used development in Johor, Malaysia, that has gained a reputation as a ghost town), using photography and mixed media to explore the disconnect between the needs of the actual environment and its locals, and the lofty ambitions of real estate developers. Through techniques such as physical collage, I combined photographs I shot on‑site with glossy, digitally rendered artist impressions – the kind often used in property marketing. This contrast creates what I call technical material asynchrony – essentially a visual and material mismatch between what’s real and what’s imagined or promised.”
WHAT DREW HIM TO HIS DISCIPLINE: “I’ve always loved photography and working with lens‑based media. There’s something powerful about capturing a real moment in time – an actual fragment of reality – and then bending, shaping or reinterpreting it to express a message … At the same time, photography leaves so much open to interpretation. That ambiguity is part of what makes it such a rich medium to work with.”
FIRST‑JOB GOALS: “I think we’ve got to be realistic about the state of the world right now. I’ve never felt that a job has to be creatively fulfilling – one shouldn’t rely on paid work for one’s sense of artistic gratification. Don’t limit your art to your job, or even to school. It’s only truly yours when it’s something you do purely for yourself.”
GERARD NAGULENDRAN, 26, BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS (HONS) IN MEDIA ART, NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY’S SCHOOL OF ART, DESIGN AND MEDIA
Through tender, dialogue‑driven short films, film‑maker Gerard Nagulendran explores themes of personal growth, strained family dynamics and the emotional grey areas young people often struggle to articulate. The giant cheque he’s pictured here with is a prop from his 2024 film Jupiter from Kembangan, a friendship story about two university room‑mates who have to go their separate ways.
ABOUT HIS FYP: “I produced and co‑wrote the short film Exit 19. It’s a coming‑of‑age story about Anne, who becomes the family driver at age 19 when her dad falls ill. She’s not close to her family, but she wants to tell her oblivious grandma the truth: that her dad is sick. What director Jennifer Heng and I wanted to do was to validate the kids in semi‑broken homes. They’re no longer children, but still feel unable to speak up in their families. We wrote this to create more empathy within these households and to show different sides of the family dynamic.”
ON HIS PRACTICE: “I love telling stories about personal growth and the relationships between young people, portraying the nuances that can feel difficult or awkward to talk about. I try to take the discomforts and joys from my own experiences and present them as beautiful things that deserve more open conversation.”
ON THE SUPPORT HE HOPES FOR YOUNG ARTISTS: “I don’t believe in handouts, but I think it’d be great for more mid‑ to late‑career artists to take graduates under their wing as apprentices. In school, there’s a bubble in which we don’t have to push ourselves too creatively or beyond our own comfort zone. I feel that having a mentor is integral to personal and professional growth, especially if it’s someone whom the student respects highly.”
ON HANDLING POST‑GRADUATION UNCERTAINTY AND STRESS: “With every big life change, it’s perfectly normal to have anxiety about the future … At the end of the day, I’ll still get to go back home and play Valorant (a first‑person, multi‑player video game) with my friends – not that much different from being a student after all, right?”
ALEX KOH, 23, BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS IN DESIGN ART (VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS), NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY’S SCHOOL OF ART, DESIGN AND MEDIA
Mixing design, illustration and storytelling, Alex Koh’s multi‑disciplinary practice brings personal, honest narratives to life. Take how her final‑year project The Portals World flips adulthood’s uncertainties into a whimsical illustrated journey, using quirky characters to invite grown‑ups to lean into the unknown with curiosity instead of fear.
ABOUT HER FYP: “The Portals World is an illustrated collection of original stories, created as a kind of children’s book for adults. It explores the uncertainties of adulthood through whimsical characters – a snail, a rock, soil and an alien – each reflecting different aspects of life’s big questions. The Portals World isn’t about being different. It’s about being raw, relatable and honest. Much of it draws indirectly from real conversations and moments in my own life. The goal is to reframe uncertainty and spark reflection. Through childlike escapism, I want to encourage adults to face the unknown with curiosity rather than fear.”
WHAT DREW HER TO HER DISCIPLINE: “I chose visual communications because I wanted to apply my conceptual thinking across different visual forms. I came from a words‑driven background – writing,
public speaking, performance – but felt limited in how far I could take my ideas. Studying design helped balance that, giving me a more structured, visual way to create and connect with others.”
ON THE SUPPORT SHE HOPES FOR YOUNG ARTISTS: “I hope everyone can be more open to young voices that may challenge the norms of Singapore’s curated arts and culture. There’s so much emerging talent, and the scene is becoming more experimental and organic, but it needs support on both a governmental and public level to truly grow. And in a work setting, what I value most is a culture of open communication, professionalism and a space to learn across different projects. Honest advice goes a long way too. I once asked a senior what keeps them going and she said, ‘As long as I feel I’m still growing.’ That really stuck with me.”
PHOTOGRAPHY ANGELA GUO ART DIRECTION JONATHAN CHIA HAIR BENEDICT CHOO MAKEUP PRIS/AASTRAL BEAUTY
A version of this article first appeared in the July 2025 The Look Of Success Edition of FEMALE