What makes an artist in singapore?

i am sure many of u would have heard of alvin ong now. haha, my NJ junior in year1. 20thousand dollars had been won by him. hmmm, singapore is so small that if are on the papers and on the news a couple of times, half of the population would have known u already. having heard wad veliani told me that him winning the competition was quite a surprise, even mr lee said that this year like not possible for the year ones to win anything. but u want to know why he win? or perhaps, u want to know how the competition works? it's all about favouritism. yes, the judges like ur painting...bingo, u win something. not that there is nothing wrong about it tho. but i feel that it is a tad unfair la. maybe u can call me a sour grape...lol. so, the question of what it good art, or even, what is art, continues. it's very, and i mean VERY ambiguous.

anything is and can be art. it just takes someone that is famous...i dunno...say...UOB painting of the year competition judge thomas yeo to say that ur work is good. i seriously dun find his works appealing. hurmm...it's colourful, if i must say, but appealing, not. he started off as a watercolourist i know, but his famous works(those that i studied in art history) were quite...humhum.

even i find liu kang's art quite...humhum also. dun ask me wad "humhum" means, i dunno wad to say, so i just use that word. and to the age old statement that is "u cannot survive doing art in singapore la", it is very true. why leh? u see la, how many artists in singapore any layman can name leh? ok, at most he or she will say liu kang or....or....or......or.....singapore got artist meh? lol. being a successful artist in singapore, u must be famous!!!!! cuz like, for now, for now, singporeans very seldom be bothered about art in it's traditional form. even i must confess that all the art exhibtions held in singapore sometimes bore me. unless it is by some renowned artist that is now dead and decomposing in his or her grave in USA or Europe. but, singapore very seldom has the chance to see such works. i personally feel that art now has moved beyond paintings and installations. to appeal to the today pple, especially singaporeans, must be applied to everyday things. like...teeshirts, and furniture(this one is already quite common liaoz). then i think SAM should quit(actually i mean cut down here) having only those purely arty farty exhibitions and have more exhibitions like teeshirt designs...and better still...digital paintings...lol. and i wonder if u have to be high and mighty in the art world to have ur own exhibition there. ok la, at least i got my chance to have my work being placed there.

so.....if u want to do art and also be successful in singapore, you have to do it as a sideline. if, like many other singaporeans, want to be rich, doing art alone is near impossible. so sad hor...no wonder pple will say that art is for those that 不可以读书.

so, should i change course, and do something as radical as study engineering? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, maybe i should. at least it pays me better than studying archi...lol.

btw, i needn't wear the aircast anymore...hurray!