To support more caregivers, CaringSG will be raising donations at our upcoming i care! Gala Dinner. During the Gala Dinner, artworks which have been kindly donated by artists will be auctioned off.

In this interview, we speak to artist Yang Tien who has kindly donated two paintings.

Yang Tien has a Master of Fine Arts from the Academy of Art College (now known as the Academy of Art University in San Francisco) and has been painting since young under the tutelage of renowned artists. He was one of the early artists that adopted digital media as the medium of choice for his creative works.

“Digital media allows an infinite synthesis of art and science. I can explore creative possibilities in a multitude of directions at any given stage, or revisit stuff that didn’t go anywhere, or see what emerges from risky relationships between disjointed artworks, or even randomly deconstructing works to uncover new gems. It is a creative journey into the unknown, surrendering preconceived and the habitual for the new possibilities, 舍得”

On why he denoted his pieces for our charity event, Tien feels that there are strong parallels between his philosophy on art (as a journey of discoveries) and special needs kids.

“…  a lot is about letting go of our fixation of what ‘should be’ so that we can work with the form and discover relationships. Nothing needs to be perfect. Harmony and beauty can exist in imperfections.”

“… as caregivers (like the artist), being conscious of our fixations and our ego causes challenging emotions. By being co-explorers, we learn and find new paths to grow together. Time, patience, love and belief are needed for that journey. But it is not an easy journey.”

To the caregivers, Tien has this to say. “Taking joy in discovery is part of that important process. Embrace uncertainty as potentials. Every journey is unique that you are privileged. Towards negatives, place it somewhere (in the painting). Continue doodling, ‘harmony in the imperfect’ will come.”

To learn more about how CaringSG supports special needs caregivers, we invite you to visit CaringSG’s Giving.sg donation page and make a donation to support these caregivers too.

Photos courtesy of artist Yang Tien.