Emergence

Tell us where you’re from and how long you’ve been studying in Singapore.
I’m from Jakarta and am currently pursuing a degree in fine arts at LASALLE. I actually moved to Singapore back in 2017 for my diploma, but returned home to work for a bit.

After I gradate this time round, I definitely want to continue living in Singapore as a full-time artist, or more realistically, whatever job that will grant me a work visa (laughs).

What do you enjoy most about living on your own?
Being very close to my three sisters, one of them being my twin, back home, it was tough for me to develop my own identity as an individual. So since moving out, I’ve discovered more about my personality, and the things I like and dislike. There’s also the agency to do whatever and go wherever I want. Having this independence has been really important for me.

Besides, I visit home quite a few times a year so I don’t really get homesick.

What art medium(s) do you specialise in?
I recently started exploring performance art, which I hope to expand on in the future. That said, most artists don’t subscribe to just one medium of choice these days, so I’m still working with other mediums and finding ones that fit best with my concepts.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve done for art?
I once sewed my own hair and nails together for an art piece (laughs). I collected them over the span of two years, so I had many different hair colours from brown to pink. I recently cut my hair during an art performance too.

What’s one comfort food that you miss from home?
After every trip to Jakarta, I always bring back the ox tongue stew that my helper cooks. It’s made with tender beef, lots of grilled onions, spices, and soy sauce. It’s quite hard for me to describe its taste because it’s not a flavour that I’ve found anywhere in Singapore, but I’ve brought some back for my boyfriend here and he loves it too!

Where can we find good Indonesian food in Singapore?
There’s a nasi padang (steamed rice with dishes) store in Yishun called Coba Coba. It’s really legit and their food tastes homemade too. I had their sotong (squid) with sticky rice, which was delicious.

Unexpectedly though, the best thing I ate from there turned out to be a sardine puff that they offered to me for free because they were closing up for the night. Oh, it was so good!