Soak

We’re starting a new series, #WhatWeLove, where #TeamObjectifs shares something we’re genuinely into right now, in the hope that it inspires our community too. Opening the series is Woong Soak Teng (aka Soak), our newly joined Programme Head of Photography & Visual Arts, sharing her love for the toy camera. In a world saturated with high-resolution photos of crisis, conflict, and consequence, there’s something quietly restorative about picking up a camera that produces images that come back a little blurry. Scroll to see her three reasons for loving this lo-fi way of documenting life (the last one has stayed with us). What’s something you’ve been reaching for lately that’s changed how you see? 👇

Experience the brilliance of Woong Soak Teng & Joanne Pang at the Artist Talk, JIPFest 2025 ✨ Artist Talk is free for JIPFest 2025 ticket holder 🎟 ______ Saksikan karya inspiratif Woong Soak Teng & Joanne Pang di Artist Talk JIPFest 2025 ✨ Gratis untuk kamu yang punya tiket JIPFest 2025 🎟 ______ JIPFest 2025, 12-21 September 2025, @ Taman Ismail Marzuki, Cikini, Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia. #JIPFest2025 #CoexistenceJIPFest #photofestival #photoexhibition #jakarta #indonesiaphotofair #photographyevent #photofair #photomarket

‘Sama Sama’ opened a night before Singapore’s 60th birthday at @whitestonegallery.official . Thank you @wang_ruobing for the invitation to be amongst 60 local artists and @sai_studios and the Whitestone team for working tirelessly behind-the-scenes! The show runs till 28 Sep. ‘Ways to tie trees’ first started in 2015 from a black & white photography module taught by @songnian . Over the last decade, it has taken a life of its own and received much support, esp from @gwenleegimlay & @jayvis_lau of @deck_sg . The meaning of the work has shifted tremendously for me and I’m grateful that Ruobing & Sai have thoughtfully reinterpreted the images through the hang - one stacked precisely above the other, akin to a spinal column coaxed into a corner. (Or as art.introspect observes - “In this unconventional arrangement, photographed trees tied to stilts find support by scaling exhibition walls, towards new rhizomes of growth.”)

[ hearth ] Step into a space where nature is traced, etched, and embodied. Now showing at Art Outreach, “Second Nature” features works by Rusydan Norr, Quek See Yee, Marvin Tang, and Woong Soak Teng that reimagine nature as metaphor, method, and material. Tree trunks become canvases for intricate etchings, tactile installations invite physical communion, and contemplative photographs preserve moments of quiet revelation. The show reflects on how we frame, shape, and coexist with nature — sometimes as a resource, sometimes as a mirror, and often as something in between. Come experience a space transformed into a living landscape, inviting reflection on the rhythms, ruptures, and rituals of nature within our urban lives. 🔗 Link in bio for full details. - Second Nature Rusydan Norr, Quek See Yee, Marvin Tang, and Woong Soak Teng 31 May — 8 June 2025, 11am to 7pm daily Art Outreach, 5 Lock Road, #01-06, Gillman Barracks, Singapore 108933

[ hearth ] In this reel, artists Quek See Yee and Marvin Tang reflect on how nature informs their artistic instincts, from spontaneous encounters with plants to explorations of visual culture, infrastructure, and national identity. Tang unpacks how image-making can shape our sense of place, while Quek shares how her design sensibilities attune her to the quiet forms of the natural world. Together with Rusydan Norr and Woong Soak Teng, the artists approach nature not just as subject, but as metaphor, material, and method, probing ideas of memory, transformation, and the traces we leave behind. Featuring photography, object-making, and hybrid installation, “Second Nature” runs from now till 8 June 2025 at Art Outreach. We hope to see you there! 🔗 Link in bio more information — Second Nature Rusydan Norr, Quek See Yee, Marvin Tang, and Woong Soak Teng 31 May — 8 June 2025, 11am to 7pm daily Art Outreach, 5 Lock Road, #01-06, Gillman Barracks, Singapore 108933

[ hearth ] How does the metaphor of nature shape the way we see, feel, and make? “Second Nature” presents new work by Rusydan Norr, Quek See Yee, Marvin Tang, and Woong Soak Teng, each unpacking the complex entanglements between nature and design, body and infrastructure, city and self. Through photography, object-making, and hybrid installations, the artists reflect on how growing up in a garden city has shaped not only their environments, but also their ways of sensing and making. These works are not simply about nature. Instead, they draw on nature as metaphor, material, and method to examine systems of memory, control, transformation, and the quiet resilience that thrives in overlooked spaces. Come witness the show as it reimagines what nature means in a world shaped by human hands, at Art Outreach from 31 May to 8 June 2025. 🔗 Link in bio for more details about the exhibition — Second Nature Rusydan Norr, Quek See Yee, Marvin Tang, and Woong Soak Teng 31 May — 8 June 2025, 11am to 8pm daily Art Outreach, 5 Lock Road, #01-06, Gillman Barracks, Singapore 108933

𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 is officially open! A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the opening last Friday—we’re thrilled to have had such great support and energy. The exhibition runs until 3 November at Art Outreach Singapore, featuring works by artists like Marvin Tang (@marvin.tang ), Woong Soak Teng (@sssoak ), Kim Sunik (@kimsunik_ ), and Lee Jin Kyung (@jinkyungleephoto ). Be sure to stop by and explore their compelling perspectives on the interplay between nature and urban environments. To hear more about their works, join us for the ☕𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 & 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 happening on 19 Oct (Sat), 10am to 11.30am, facilitated by Anna Lovecchio (@anna_lovecchio_ ), Curator at NTU CCA Singapore (@ntu_ccasingapore ). Register at 9sipf-coffeedialogue-gardencity.eventbrite.sg Expanding on the concept of temporality, 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 explores the interaction between nature’s transient, ever-shifting presence and the constant pulse of city life. This juxtaposition offers a fresh look at how the natural and urban elements coexist and influence one another, encouraging reflection on our evolving relationship with the environments we live in. — 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 Presenter: SIPF (@sipfsg ) Cultural Parter: ArtSpace LUMOS (@artspacelumos ) Venue Partner: Art Outreach Singapore (@artoutreachsingapore ) Print Sponsor: AVS Printing (@avsprinting ) Supported by National Arts Council (@nacsingapore ) The SIPF is an international platform which aims to promote the arts and the appreciation of photography arts, as well as critical thought and academic discourse on photography in Southeast Asia. The festival is organised by DECK (@deck_sg ). Pictures taken by Victor Gui @_victor_gui_ #SIPF2024 #SIPFsg #DECKsg #GardenCity #photography #exhibition #artsg

We're just two days away from the opening of 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲! Join us at the reception this Friday to check out how the Remix Edition explores the interplay between nature and urban environments, featuring works of Marvin Tang (@marvin.tang ), Woong Soak Teng (@sssoak ), Kim Sunik (@kimsunik_ ), and Lee Jin Kyung (@jinkyungleephoto ). By expanding the concept of temporality, 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 delves into how nature's fleeting, ever-changing qualities interact with the dynamic, often relentless pace of city life. This juxtaposition aims to reflect on how natural and urban elements coexist and influence each other, offering new insights into the evolving relationship between our environment and urban landscapes. 🍀 Opening Reception ● 4 Oct (Friday), 7.30pm to 9pm ↘️ RSVP to [email protected] or register at 9sipf-opening-gardencity.eventbrite.sg ☕ Morning Coffee & Dialogue. facilitated by Anna Lovecchio (@anna_lovecchio_ ), Curator at NTU CCA Singapore (@ntu_ccasingapore ) ● 19 Oct (Sat), 10am to 11.30am ↘️ Register at 9sipf-coffeedialogue-gardencity.eventbrite.sg — 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 Presenter: SIPF (@sipfsg ) Cultural Parter: ArtSpace LUMOS (@artspacelumos ) Venue Partner: Art Outreach Singapore (@artoutreachsingapore ) Print Sponsor: AVS Printing (@avsprinting ) Supported by National Arts Council (@nacsingapore ) The SIPF is an international platform which aims to promote the arts and the appreciation of photography arts, as well as critical thought and academic discourse on photography in Southeast Asia. The festival is organised by DECK (@deck_sg ). #SIPF2024 #SIPFsg #DECKsg #gardencity #photography #exhibition #artsg

Glad to be part of this exhibition alongside @marvin.tang , @kimsunik_ and @jinkyungleephoto . Opens this Friday (4 Oct) night at @artoutreachsingapore . For the first time, Marvin and I are co-presenting 8 photobooks made across 8 years. The conversations we’ve had so far has been nourishing. It’s also been a joy working with @gideon_jamie_ , whose thoughtfulness pulled everything tgt graphically and structurally. Thanks to the team at @deck_sg for keeping @sipfsg going every other year- @gwenleegimlay , @jayvis_lau , @quinnylummy @dawnisdabomb , @isaiahcheng_ and more! Thank you @artspacelumos for hosting the first edition in Daegu last September and planting this seed, @artoutreachsingapore for housing the show and @avsprinting for bringing our images to life. Accompanying this post with random snapshots from my phone that would otherwise not see the light of day ✨

For past participants of the Young Photographers’ Mentorship Programme (YPMP), Soak is a familiar face as a mentor. This year, Soak brings her extensive experience in art-making, producing, and project management to a new group of YPMP participants. She is particularly excited to see Open Call applications that demonstrate curiosity and vulnerability in their practice. The YPMP 2024 Open Call is closing soon—submit your application by 30 September, before 11:59 PM. 12 selected participants, aged 15 to 23, will have the chance to engage in a 3-week mentorship led by Woong Soak Teng, Guo Jie Khoo, and Lavender Chang, culminating in an open studio showcase. Apply now at our link in bio! #YPMP2024 #YPMPObjectifs #ObjectifsOpenCall

. WOONG SOAK TENG Chair person 2024 Moving with chairs found in the second-hand furniture shop Hock Siong, 'Chair person' taps into movement and language around the object to explore the physical and metaphorical tensions between the chair and the body. 🎨: @sssoak 📸: @thirdstreet.studio 🏠: @hocksiong ——— Keys Under the Sofa 19 Jan to 18 Feb 2024 (closed on 9 to 13 Feb) Mon - Sat: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Sun: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm Hock Siong & Co, 153 Kampong Ampat, Junjie Industrial Building, #01-02/#01-03, S368326 Click link in bio to find out more #saw2024 #sgartweek #ArtTakesOver