Who: Oh Jia Hao, digital artist
His aesthetic: Oh’s creations that have become Instagram gold (check out his 53.5K-follower-strong account @lioncolony) are akin to a playground with all the sights and sounds you’d expect from (a digital) one.
The backdrop is most often a virtual factory, except that instead of humdrum machinery, his brims with psychedelic colours, sunglass-wearing gummy bear figures (a recurring motif that he likens to humans – “they all have the same shape, but are of so many different colours”) and ASMR sounds that make for one multi-dimensional treat for the senses.
The “products” that roll out of this madcap workshop, meanwhile, range from confectionery (the man has clearly got a sweet tooth) to the season’s latest It bags, with collaborators including The Shoppes At Marina Bay Sands (see video below) and local luxury blogger Bagaholicboy.
What got him started: “I started doing animation back when I was in secondary school, and was drawn to the ability to create things from scratch on the computer. Formal education and getting one’s foundation is very important for animators.”
On Singapore’s animation scene: “It’s very saturated right now, and everyone is good, but that just means that emerging artists need to find their own niche.”
