Girls who do wonderful things in this world deserve a spotlight.Th is month, we’re shining it on Abby, who brightens up people’s lives one art piece at a time.
Girls who do wonderful things in this world deserve a spotlight.Th is month, we’re shining it on Abby, who brightens up people’s lives one art piece at a time.
What sparked your interest in art?
“When I was 11 years old, I asked for Adobe Photoshop and a coding guidebook for Christmas. I began editing photographs and building websites from a young age.”
What made you decide to become a full-time artist?
“I don’t think I made a conscious decision to become a full-time artist. Rather, I feel that being an artist is essential to who I am and being creative is how I interact with the world around me. I love working with my hands and finding visual ways to express my thoughts and feelings.”
Which of your works are you most proud of?
“in.visible was a project made in collaboration with five women on their experiences with sexual abuse and rape. Over the course of a year, I interviewed them in their homes, had meals with them and saw how they lived their lives in light of their history with sexual abuse and rape. It was an immense privilege to have lived alongside these women and the project changed me in profound ways. I am also proud of my film, You Can Just Learn It, which is about my grandmother and language politics in Singapore. I learnt so much just working on it, but the most precious takeaway was that it allowed me to spend an extended time with my grandmother in the kitchen.”
Dinner Parties “I love kids and teaching them how to be creative.” “I love having friends over for dinner parties and will cook up a storm for them! I think I can proudly say I’ve mastered my grandmother’s Hainanese chicken rice recipe. Some of my friends think I should open a chicken rice shop in LA.”
Travelling
"The cobbled streets of Prague in November 2015.”
1. A photograph from the series When I Met Tamar, which is a part of Abby’s in.visible project.
2 and 3. Film stills from You Can Just Learn It.
