Robert Zhao, 32, whom curator of our Art & Design issue Dawn Ng considers to be “the most exciting photographer” she knows, documents the wonderful, abnormal and strange in science and nature. “I spend a lot of time trying to understand why I collect animal traps or animal postcards. Art is a way of approaching my own obsessions and curiosity,” he says.
In 2013, he created a quirky photographic encyclopedia, A Guide to the Flora and Fauna of the World. For an exhibition in 2015 at The Substation, he spent nine months manually sanding down 200kg worth of wood from salvaged tree trunks.
His work has gained recognition on both the local and global stage – he won the National Arts Council Young Artist Award in 2010, and the Deutsche Bank Award in Photography in London in 2011. His most recent coup: being selected to be a part of Singapore: Inside Out, a travelling exhibition showcasing local contemporary creative talents. More recently, he was shortlisted for the Best Emerging Artist Using Photography award in the annual Prudential Eye Awards, which recognise outstanding works of contemporary Asian artists (his piece is now being exhibited at the ArtScience museum).
Profile Photos Zaphs Zhang Art Direction Leyna Poh
An adapted version first appeared in Female’s January issue.
Like this? Check out Singapore artist Ashley Yeo, who creates the most ethereal black and white drawings.