In late September 2026, I reached out to Ms. Ye, an independent curator based in Singapore, hoping to interview her for my series Artist/Curator Talks. Interestingly, not long after we began talking, she asked me a question of her own: "As a person, what do you think matters most?" I thought about it for a moment before answering. That answer led us into a long conversation, one that felt less like a professional interview and more like a talk between friends. Before we parted, she invited me, if I had the time, to work with her on planning a group exhibition from the very beginning, starting with the recruitment of artists, as a formal internship. I was glad to accept the chance to learn through practice, and so my internship with a group art exhibition in Singapore began.
The curatorial concept was Ms. Ye's own. When she talked it through with me, I found that I agreed with it completely and admired it deeply. Unlike the student society exhibitions I had curated at school, or the solo exhibitions of my paintings I had held in other countries, this was a commercial exhibition of professional artists. It showed me that a curator's role is far broader than that of an exhibition organizer, and that much of the work begins long before the exhibition opens. Once the theme and concept are settled, the curator's first task is the call for artists. After that come building artist profiles, interviewing artists, selecting works, negotiating with sponsors, arranging the practical details of the exhibition, and producing promotional materials such as videos and texts. Only then does the work move on to installation, the opening, sales, and the closing of the show.
At the heart of all this is choosing the right artists for the exhibition's theme, selecting the works, and connecting the artists with their audience. Doing this work, I realized that I too have a great deal to express as a curator. The process was fascinating, and I share many of its details below. I hope you enjoy reading them.
Curatorial Concept
Not an Artist. Just More Than Art.
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Through our experience of organising exhibitions, we have come to recognise that the art world tends to favour artists who are already established, or whose work has clear commercial appeal. Their work more readily finds a place in established galleries, where it may receive greater exposure. But what becomes of the talented artists who have not yet reached that point? Many never have the opportunity to be seen, heard or discovered.
We have also learnt that exhibiting in a good gallery does not, in itself, guarantee the promotion, public engagement or visibility an artist needs. Sometimes the greatest challenge is simply being given the chance to be seen.
Behind many artists are stories we rarely hear. Some are professionally trained, yet must take on other work to make a living. They become teachers, drivers, lawyers, craftspeople or business owners. Others carry the responsibility of raising families and supporting the people they love. Yet despite the pressures of everyday life, they keep returning to their art. They refuse to abandon something they deeply believe in.
These are the artists we wish to stand beside. We hope to create a platform where their work can be seen, their stories heard and their dedication recognised, without first asking them to prove their worth through commercial success or professional status.
We also want to rethink the way people experience art.
Traditional galleries can at times feel intimidating, as though they were reserved for serious collectors or for those already familiar with the art world. We want to offer something different: a welcoming space where parents can bring their children, young people can discover art, and anyone who appreciates creativity can walk in without feeling out of place.
Studio Miu will be more than an exhibition venue. It will be a meeting point for artists, families, collectors, supporters and the wider public.
Rather than spending most of our resources on an impressive venue, we intend to direct the greater part of our funding towards online and social media marketing, reaching people beyond the usual gallery audience. We will also organise free art workshops and an art bazaar featuring independent artists, and create opportunities to support artists with special needs, including through their artworks and merchandise printed with their work.
We envision an exhibition that connects people from different backgrounds and communities, bringing together artists who may lead very different lives but share one thing: the determination to keep creating.
Not all of these artists may call themselves professional artists. Their careers may not revolve around art, and their work may not always be easy to sell. Yet they continue to create through exhaustion, uncertainty, financial pressure and family responsibilities. They make art because it is something they cannot simply walk away from.
Perhaps there is something especially genuine in that persistence. Their art is not defined solely by whether it sells, or by whether the art world recognises them. It is also shaped by the lives they have lived, the sacrifices they have made, and the experiences they bring to their work.
Not an Artist. Just More Than Art. is a celebration of these individuals: their resilience, their honesty and their refusal to give up on what they believe in.
Every artwork holds more than what appears on its surface. Behind it may lie years of practice, sleepless nights, sweat, tears, sacrifice and heart.
We hope visitors will look at these works and see not only the art, but also the people behind them.
Because sometimes the most meaningful thing we can do is not to decide whether an artist has "made it", but to give that artist the chance to be seen.
I. Artist Interview
At our very first meeting, Ms Ye gave me a task: find at least five candidate artists for our exhibition. Each of them had to come from a grassroots background, yet have kept making art, with their own artistic philosophy and aspirations. Well, for a high school student like me, that was a fairly tough assignment. I went through every teacher and friend I had met while organizing my previous exhibitions, put together a call-for-artists notice, and asked them to help me find suitable artists.
I also had to build a short profile for each candidate, to be used later in the selection. Some of the artists expressed themselves well, but I found that most of them didn't find it easy to talk about themselves, especially the older ones. So I arranged to meet them and chatted with them to learn about their experiences and ideas, and then helped them organize and write their personal artistic stories. One of them was an 80-year-old man who spoke with a strong regional accent and didn't say much, yet his story was deeply moving. Whether or not he is selected for this exhibition, I will put his materials together afterward and, with his permission, help promote his work.
Along the way, I also developed a small tool for gathering artists' background information and running early-stage interviews. It is very simple, but when I tried it out, it really did save a lot of work. It lets the curator build a set of basic interview questions suited to each interviewee and then generates a personal interview link for that artist. The curator sends the link to the artist, who can answer whenever it suits them, and the answers are sent back to the curator. Of course, whether the artists answer each question, and how, is entirely up to them. Once the curator has these first answers, they can decide which points need a deeper, more detailed conversation, or what other follow-up interviews might help.
In the end, a tool can only help the curator collect basic information more efficiently. The warmth of real human conversation is something no tool can replace. If you would like to try the tool yourself, just click the link below. And if you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to get in touch so I can keep improving it.