Being a creative in Singapore is, very often, a thankless task.
Many of our interests—our ambitions and dreams—are diametrically opposed to the workings of ‘the rat race’. But while the various arts communities here are small, they are mighty.
Photographers and tattoo artists. Illustrators and poets. Designers and chefs. Each slice of every creative industry contributes to the slowly, but surely growing fabric of artistic expression on this small island.
Here’s a peek at what’s inspiring the hearts and minds of some of our local creatives in 2026—curated by Vogue Singapore and captured on film.
Rebecca Toh, photographer and founder, Casual Poet Library
1. I am drawn towards life and especially towards its nonsensical, dream-like nature, where logic often collapses into shapes, tones, shadows and meaningless gestures.
2. Life is seemingly filled with dull moments, but through my camera I understand that there is no real dullness in life. Everything is interesting to me as a photographer.
3. I continue to enjoy street photography, which is not about making sense of things. There is no sense to be made. But it will force you to become less sure of yourself as a photographer because you can hardly plan for things to happen. What you can do is to be prepared, with your camera and your heart, open and ready to be surprised by life.
4. Life, some might say, is politics. But beyond politics, beyond the fluctuating drama of current affairs, beyond power, beyond the frailty of our human ethics, is this sense that we’re souls trying to make the best of our experience while we’re here on Earth. I like to use my photography to peel beyond the usual appearances of human life so I can try to get at what lies beneath.
Deon Phua, founder, Tell Your Children, and co-founder, Hideout Coffee Bar
1. This image is a reminder of the friends, family and familiar faces showing up for us once again. It anchors me to the idea that the work we do is only possible because of the people who believe in it.
2. Shot on a ski lift in Myoko, this moment of stillness captures the quiet clarity that comes from stepping away. It reminds me of the significance of rest, and how taking time off recharges my perspective and keeps me inspired.
3. This is a familiar scene whenever the studio is working on murals. I’ve always been drawn to the overlooked chaos behind the final artwork. This photo preserves that organised mess, reminding me that the process, with all its imperfections, is just as important as the polished outcome.
4. We hosted our first Tell Your Children community gathering at a friend’s studio in Aliwal Arts Centre. Watching strangers connect over Pictionary, conversations and shared energy was memorable. Moments like this remind me of why staying connected to the people who resonate with our work is vital.
Elly Rei, tattoo artist, Stable Tattoo Studio
1. The body is my main canvas, now and over the past six years. I’ve fallen in love with not just tattoos, but the interpersonal connection between myself and the people I work with. An exchange of energy, as sacred as it sounds. It is almost spiritual for me to connect with another being directly through my art.
2. Eyes are portals to the soul and art traverses through portals. Eyes have always enthralled me. Constantly finding ways into my work, I morph them to see where it leads. On a side note, it is possible to talk to a cat purely with your eyes.
3. This is the moult of a tarantula. An empty shell, once embodied. Emptiness is a recurring theme in my art. I feel deeply for empty vessels. Leaving the old shell behind, we continue to evolve. Yet, there is beauty in what has been. I continue to work with and explore past trauma, and art teaches me how to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, to pour love into emptiness.
4. I seek textures, from the natural world to everything man-made. Seeing beauty in decomposition and water stains, I wish to encompass a dreamlike feeling in my work, blessed by the sights I receive in my walks. Texture derives from rot, which strips everything into a raw state, as raw as dreams.
Christina Rasmussen, co-owner and head chef, Fura
1. Sasha is my rock in all aspects of our life and I’m so lucky every day to wake up and go to work together. We complement each other well and I strive every day to do better and to grow—for myself and for her.
2-7. I find a lot of inspiration in nature for texture, colour, pattern and contrast. As such, these photos were taken from all around the forest surrounding our flat. At Fura, we are plant-focused and use unconventional proteins. So I find it extra important to make our dishes visually appealing because we need to do these ingredients justice.
Hafiiz Karim, illustrator
1. Stepping into 2026 feels like choosing to sit with the darker parts of myself instead of avoiding them. The mask reminds me that what I hide still shapes me. By letting the shadow speak, I learn to move with it rather than pretend it is not there.
2. Watching something that once lived only in my mind take shape in the real world feels grounding. I want to honour that feeling by letting more of my creations step out of the digital space and become something people can hold and experience.
3. There is something comforting about quiet routines, yet they can hold me in place. This empty train feels like an invitation to step off the familiar tracks and try something slightly unfamiliar. I want to experiment more in the new year and let curiosity choose the direction.
4. I’ve been trying to look at the world through pieces rather than a whole. These fragments reveal what clarity sometimes hides. Leaving 2025, I want to explore how broken perspectives can still be honest, how distortion can guide me towards a more truthful way of seeing.
Sasha Wijidessa, co-owner and head bartender, Fura
1-2. Christina and Tofu: My family, my motivation and my ‘why’ for everything I do. They are what drives me.
3. David Shrigley is probably my favourite artist at the moment. His satirical work helped inspire the format of Fura’s Journal of Future Foods.
4. Anna Tsing’s book, The Mushroom at the End of the World, is one of the biggest influences behind Fura, and where our name and tagline, ‘collaborative survival’, comes from. She aims to teach us about sustaining life on a fragile planet using the matsutake mushroom as a focal point.
Jonathan Tan, photographer and artist
1-3. These were taken at the book launch of Homesick, a poetry collection written by my friend Nor, which I consider a study on the importance of community in the practice of an artist. Each photo is connected, telling a story about (1) the people who make art and live by it; (2) the people who support, edit and sharpen it; and (3) the people who consume and witness it.
