How long does it take to get to Mars? Well, if you’re with with Eugene Soh, almost instantly. Recognised as one of the most talented photographic artists in Singapore, Eugene combines perceptions of the contemporary realities of Singapore with his knowledge of digital art and media technologies to produce sharply distinct works of art.
He was among the artists who came to India to share their unique and innovative art works at Singapore Weekender which happened at F(r)iction at Kona, Jor Bagh, New Delhi. Organised by St+art India Foundation, this year the festive collaborators were Singapore Tourism Board. The visitors were enthralled by Atypical Singapore, an art and augmented reality (AR) technology showcase by Chan+Hori Contemporary which featured seven Singapore contemporary artists including Eugene.
It was a pleasure meeting Eugene and having him introduce and explain his works; we discovered a passionate and extremely kind person who left us amazed.
This was Eugene’s third visit to India; he regaled us with stories of his earlier trips which included sojourns in Lucknow and Bengaluru. Through food, art and culture unique to the cities, Eugene drew an interesting word picture of his various experiences.
It was the Last Kopitiam piece that changed everything for him. He made that piece in 2010 and it suddenly went viral in 2012. After that, some galleries started contacting him to see his work and the rest is history. He was very thankful to Khai and Singapore Tourism Board for introducing him to the wonderful world of Augmented reality.
His work can also be seen as an homage to publicly recognisable masterpieces by legendary artists. Melding the pinnacle of AR technology, computer graphics and his vivid imagination, this computer programmer turned artist utilises his tech skills to create excellent virtual tableaus that literally come to life on your smartphone or tablet simply by accessing a QR code or URL.
While walking with us in Lodhi Colony to where his pieces would be recreated as wall art, he gushed about his love for Indian food. Eugene is a huge fan of Indian Biryani and also loves to try different types of food whenever he’s in India.
He also talked about his grand project Mind Palace- a virtual reality experience aiming to help dementia patients remember by visiting familiar places in Virtual Reality. He loves to bring his photos to life in augmented reality. “We recreate familiar surroundings for patients using pictures and information that their family provides. We have already brought this platform to nursing homes and we bring the residents to places like Great Wall of China and Taj Mahal, all from the comfort of the nursing homes,” he added.
A really chilled out guy, we hope to see more of him in the future.