Who: Clement Chia, creative director
His aesthetic: It’s hard to say no to Chia’s buffet of voluptuous, almost tactile shapes gently bouncing and forming with a flourish onscreen, reminiscent of lava lamps – if only those came outfitted in every pastel hue possible. It’s a very pretty virtual universe that Chia has perfected, and it stems from a good place.
“I create things that make me happy. And, in turn, I hope by doing what I love, it brings joy to people,” he explains. “I would like the audience to feel calm and relaxed when they watch the animations.”
Set in a loop, his rollicking shapes set amid a pastel paradise are hypnotising – a visual MO that’s practically tailor-made for social media (@cmttat) where – as of press time – he commands 27.9K followers and commissions from the likes of L’Oreal and French luxury jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels.
This web developer turned-animation veteran also pays it forward – he co-founded Offeo, a free platform that simplifies video-making for beginners and small enterprises.
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What got him started: “I started my career as a front-end developer in advertising agencies, as that was what I had studied in university, but I was always intrigued by beautiful visuals… Watching online tutorials got me more excited about the whole animation process. The possibilities are unlimited.”
On Singapore’s animation scene: “I’ve seen more artists posting more experimental works on social media, and this is important as it helps them to get more exposure – clients are constantly on the lookout for talent.
I’ve been seeing a lot of good artists emerging, and I think our diverse culture plays a huge part. The things that we experience make our content incredibly unique… The Singapore art scene is not as widely celebrated as that overseas, but that shouldn’t stop artists from creating great work.”