Ng Hui Hsien works as an artist, educator, and curator. Through her artworks, she seeks to evoke stillness and wonder, especially towards our inner landscapes and the more-than-human world. Her work is informed by phenomenology, one that sees our bodies as sites of knowledge and one curious about our relations with the living earth.

Hui Hsien has received solo exhibitions at Objectifs Centre of Photography and Film, Singapore (2023, 2016), Grey Projects, Singapore (2020-2021), Comma Space, Singapore (2020), and Reykjavík Museum of Photography, Iceland (2018-2019). Her work has been internationally exhibited in festivals and institutions such as Museum of Onomichi City University, Japan (2024), GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts, Germany (2021), and Akiyoshidai International Artist Village, Japan (2021), among others.  Hui Hsien holds a Master of Arts in Photography from University of West of England and a Master of Social Sciences (Sociology) from National University of Singapore.

Can you tell us about your background and how you started your artistic journey?

I’ve been drawn to the arts since young, but it wasn’t until I started working as a writer for a lifestyle magazine that I explored that interest deeply. In that role, I attended plays, exhibitions, and music gigs, and interviewed artists, musicians, and other creative practitioners to understand how they think and work. That period was formative. It was like a crash course in the arts! And it was during that time that I first picked up a camera.

At first, the camera was simply a tool for me to capture people I cared about or places I visited. It was – and perhaps still is – my way of holding on to moments. What I photograph gradually shifted however, when I found myself fascinated by details that most people pay little heed to, such as a puddle on the ground and marks on an old wall. To me, these traces held emotional resonance.

During a period of personal loss, the impulse to capture such images deepened. I wandered alone with a camera often. When words failed, images became a refuge. Around the same time, I was selected to participate in the Shooting Home workshop at Objectifs (Singapore) and Angkor Photo workshop (Cambodia). Under the guidance of various artists and photographers, I began to understand and sequence my images with more intention.

That was how my journey began. Over time, my practice expanded into installation and bookmaking, as some ideas called for forms beyond the image.

How do you stay inspired and motivated to create new work?

I currently work as an adjunct at an arts school in Singapore, and being surrounded by wonderful colleagues and students keeps me intellectually and creatively engaged. My recent foray into curating also pushes me to attend exhibitions and look closely at the work of other artists. When I am not working on my own art, I am thinking about others’ work. I find that fulfilling, and these different modes of engagement continually shapes my perspective.

I also seek out residencies – especially those in remote, natural environments – to focus on my own practice.

What are the main themes or concepts you explore in your work?

People have read themes of nature, perception, and spirituality in my work. A core part of my practice is developing a more intimate relation with the natural world. By encouraging a way of seeing that does not see the self and the environment as separate, I hope my work counters more dominant, extractive perceptions of nature.

The theory of equivalence is central as well. First put forth by Alfred Stieglitz and later developed by Minor White, an equivalent is a metaphor. It conveys feelings about things and situations that cannot be photographed directly. White described three levels of equivalence: the graphic elements of a photograph, the associations a viewer has while looking at it, and finally, the remembered image after the photograph is no longer in sight. The third level mattered most to him, for the remembered image is the viewer’s own, shaped by processes such as their memory and imagination. In that sense, the photograph becomes a function rather than a thing; a step in process rather than an end point. This idea has been a north star for me, and I strive for my work to stir contemplation or inner dialogue in the same way.

What challenges have you faced as an artist, and how have you overcome them?

Unless someone comes from wealth, every artist has to figure out how to make a living, whether through their practice or work outside the arts. Time and energy are limited, and balancing one’s creative work with the need to support oneself and loved ones can be difficult sometimes.

How do your personal experiences and identity influence your art?

Living in a dense, fast-paced city sharpened my desire for environments at the other end of the spectrum. I am drawn to the vastness and silence of remote landscapes, because they teach me to pay attention differently. When there is less noise, literally and otherwise, it becomes easier to be grounded and attuned to oneself and the environment in the present moment. The challenge is carrying that way of sensing back into urban life.

Personal experiences of loss have also shaped my approach to photography. They drew me toward quiet details, such as the textures of surfaces or the way light reflects off water. These small phenomena carry emotional weight and can spark off a sense of wonder for me. They continue to guide the kind of work I make. But I like to think that, at this moment, there is more lightness in the way I see and create.

What do you hope people take away from your art when they experience it?

My work refrains from being didactic. I try to leave room for openness. In a way, I direct a viewer’s gaze, but less so their thought processes. I want my work to evoke, to stir, and for viewers to bring their own associations into the encounter. I make and present a work with specific intentions, but what people take away should be what resonates for them.

Text & photo courtesy of Ng Hui Hsien

Website: https://www.huihsien.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nghuihsien/