This panel discussion will focus on on socio-economic trends in Singapore, how they impact different sections of society, and how art can be used to spread awareness about these issues. The speakers include:

About the artists

Chow and Lin consists of:

Stefen Chow is a Malaysian-born, Singapore-raised photographer. He has worked with global leading corporations and institutions including Apple, Cartier, DHL, General Electric, Grey Group, GEO magazine and the Smithsonian magazine. Stefen reached the summit of Mount Everest at the age of 25. Nikon named him as one of Asia’s top photographers. Stefen currently lives and works in Beijing.

Lin Huiyi is an economist by training and is a market researcher. She has a background in economic policy, and obtained an MBA from the Tsinghua University - MIT Sloan School International MBA Program. She has planned and implemented enterprise development programs in Singapore and is currently based in Beijing, conducting multi-industry market research for a multinational clientele. She is passionate about solutions that make social, environmental, and commercial sense.

About the speakers

Dr. Soon-Hwa Oh is a photographer, curator, and lecturer in photography. She holds an MFA from School of Visual Arts and Ed.D from Columbia University in New York.

Her main subjects of photography focus on women and identity in relation with their familial structure. Her work has been shown internationally at platforms such as the Noorderlicht Photo Festival, Lucca Photo Fest in Italy, and Pingyao International Photo Festival in China, and in institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham, and the Asian American Art Center.

Her recent curatorial show was at the National Museum of Singapore. She is a recipient of Ohio Arts Council Fellowship, Korea Arts Council Fellowship, and Aaron Siskind Memorial Scholarship. Currently, she is an associate professor and the coordinator of the photography and digital imaging program at School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

Professor Mohan J Dutta is Professor and Head of the Department of Communications and New Media at the National University of Singapore and Courtesy Professor of Communication at Purdue University. Professor Dutta works on developing communication solutions that are rooted in communities. At NUS, he is the Founding Director of the Center for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE), directing research on culturally-centered, community-based projects of social change that originate from his decade-long research. He teaches and conducts research in international health communication and public policy and social change. Before arriving to NUS, he served as Associate Dean of Research in the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University, a Service Learning Fellow, and a fellow of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy. Also at Purdue, he served as the Founding Director of the Center for Poverty and Health Inequities (COPHI).