LSA100: Pamela Tan uses her art to create worlds for everyone to step into

100 Malaysians, 100 Milestones – LSA100 this year spotlights artist and visionary Pamela Tan of Poh Sin Studio, whose work is as immersive as though stepping into a world that she has intended for you to explore. From working with Disney and translating complex emotions into art, to being the only Malaysian artist featured at Cartier’s Trinity 100th anniversary pop-up, this year has seen Pamela rising high in her artistic career.

After the first two shots of her LSA100 cover shoot, Pamela Tan steps further back from the rest of us to study the photos side by side. I quickly understand that it’s a matter of perspective — she is, after all, an artist with the ability to see the bigger picture. With a background in architecture and a talent for art and design, Pamela uses both to weave creative, colourful worlds of her own, telling stories that can resonate with just about anyone who steps into them. Her work is public art — an experiential form or art that allows you to feel like you are walking through it.

I vividly remember my trip to Petaling Street’s Kwai Chai Hong two Septembers ago, where Pamela’s Beyond the Moonlit Door was installed. The space was transformed into an ethereal walk down memory lane, and the glow of the makeshift moon would follow wherever you stepped. There were large doors of different colours, and floating above were hundreds of paper ‘lanterns’ to reflect the Chinese cultural heritage. It was a special showcase for the Mid-Autumn Festival that year, and also happens to be one of the few pieces of art that have stayed with me until now.

When I bring it up to her, the first thing she gasps and says, “Oh wow! That was two years ago?!” Pamela has been creating so much since then; newer and much bigger things that time has become a concept. Just this past year alone, she had the opportunity to work with Disney Studios for an art installation inspired by the film Inside Out 2, where she reimagined the characters Joy and Anxiety to life.

“In the film, the main character becomes a teenager and she’s navigating new emotions like anxiety,” she says. (She hadn’t yet seen Inside Out 2 when Disney first reached out to her, but she could surmise based on the summary alone.) “All of us can relate, right? All these new emotions. So, that really spoke to me — because I was also on the journey of navigating and understanding my emotions, and being mindful about it. In the installation, I tried to translate that as harmonious, unique emotions intertwined inside of us that are all needed. Like, we need these emotions. We can’t neglect and try to suppress one of these emotions, like Joy or Anxiety. Hence the name ‘embrace the unknown’.”

In July this year, Pamela’s work — a reinterpretation of ‘The Three Graces’ sculpture — was also featured at Cartier’s centennial celebration held in Singapore. Alongside 29 other original artworks by international artists at the exhibit, Pamela was also the only Malaysian artist to be included at the event. “They gave me many different subjects to play with and I chose ‘Number 3’ for Trinity,” she shares. “And then as I was researching, I saw this information about the Three Graces. It’s a very common subject in the arts since, I don’t know, the Picasso generation. I think it’s very interesting to see how over the course of time all these artists from different generations tried to translate what is the ‘ideal woman’ that’s representing the Three Graces. So I started asking myself, what is my adaptation of the Three Graces?”

The end result was a sculpture highlighting the feminine body, which then unfurls into three petal-like shapes. Listening to Pamela’s thought process for her artwork, it is very easy to understand why she does what she does; she does not spare any attention to the details. There is meaning in everything. And through her deeper understanding of art, she wants to “surprise herself” by continuing to embrace the unknown.

What’s been your biggest takeaway in 2024?

I think my biggest takeaway is to embrace the unknown. Although that’s the title of one of my artworks. (laughs) But actually I feel like it sort of encapsulates my journey so far. I think it’s really about being present and being very accepting and not worrying. ‘Cause I guess we have this tendency to always wanna be in control, to know, like, “Is this safe for me? Is there gonna be a line of job coming up? Who will I be working with?” But I think so far, I have been keeping it very open and not worrying and just focus on taking one step at a time; just willing to work with people from different and diverse backgrounds.

You learn a lot from them, and then it brings you unexpected surprises. I’ve been able to work with people from unexpected backgrounds and fields, and it gives me many opportunities to discover different parts of myself. My career, my potential, and learning different philosophies and values and insights from these people as well. So I think it was a lot of learning curves, and it’s been very inspiring. And it has constantly surprised me, I feel like I grew a lot throughout the seasons. A sense of evolving as an artist throughout the seasons.

Tell us a little bit about that art installation you did earlier this year with Disney. What was the thought process behind that, and what went into the creation?

So when Disney approached me to do an installation for the second movie, I was very excited. Because the first movie spoke to me a lot about understanding and navigating five different emotions, the basic emotions. And then for this one, they gave me a summary of it. Basically, the main character becomes a teenager and she’s navigating new emotions like anxiety. All of us can relate, right? All these new emotions. So, that really spoke to me — because I was also on the journey of navigating and understanding my emotions, and being mindful about it.

We try to control our emotions too, suppress and not ‘show’ because it’s not pleasant in people’s eyes. An ‘ideal’ person wouldn’t be, like, very emotional. But actually it is very natural. It’s okay to just embrace all these emotions together, and in the process recognise it, and acknowledge you can be happy. That gave me the opportunity to dwell and self-reflect. Because I experienced this before and I know what to work on.

In the film, the two main characters that were highlighted were Joy and Anxiety. And these are like the most recognisable emotions and the most contrasting ones at the same time. But at the same time, it’s very necessary to have both. We are probably just more inclined to Joy of course. But if you look at Anxiety’s role, it’s necessary ‘cause it’s there to protect us, so there’s a balance to it. In the installation, I tried to translate that as like harmonious, unique emotions intertwined inside of us that are needed, we need these emotions. We can’t neglect and try to suppress one of these emotions, like Joy or Anxiety. Hence the name ‘embrace the unknown’.

What was the kind of response that you got from that installation?

Oh, the kids go crazy, first of all. (laughs) I used stress balls as one of the installation materials, the other one is strings. A stress ball to me is very apt because it’s like a tool that you use to process your emotions. You squeeze it. At the same it’s circular, which represents the memory orb [in the movie]. That’s why I put it there, and I wanted to invite visitors to touch and press it, you know, and interact with it. And then the string represents anxiety. It shows the ‘chaos’, and that is weaved around the installation. The core intertwines both of these emotions, and it branches out like an umbrella and in the centre you see the yellow steel, which represents Joy. And then you see the intertwine of the string around it, like a DNA at the core. And then it just bursts out into a cloud-like shape that represents Anxiety.

I think seeing adults as well, like, immersing themselves in the insolation, it kind of also awakened their inner child, I guess. I felt that way too when I saw that, and then there was feedback from the adults that say, “Wow, the string is making me feel anxious.” And that was the point! Yeah, so I was very happy with the feedback.

One of your standout moments this year was being the only Malaysian artist featured at the Trinity 100th Anniversary. What was that experience like?

When I was told about the campaign, I was given many different subjects to play with and I chose ‘Number 3’ for Trinity,” she shares. “And then as I was researching, I saw this information about the Three Graces. It’s a very common subject in the arts since, I don’t know, the Picasso generation. It started from the mythology, the three mythological goddesses, which are the Greek goddesses that represent the three — grace, beauty, charm. I think it’s very interesting to see how over the course of time all these artists from different generations tried to translate what is the ‘ideal woman’ that’s representing the Three Graces. So for Picasso, it was more lengthy and skinny, slender ladies. And then in another timeline, it’s more like a ‘younger’ woman. And then there was one around the 21st century with this African artist, he did a very voluptuous representation of the Three Graces. I think over time, you notice that the idea of ‘ideal beauty’ just evolves and changes all the time. There is no ‘one’ definition. And as a woman, I guess, it just goes to show that there is no one ‘ideal beauty’.

So I started asking myself, what is my adaptation of the Three Graces? And to me it’s about femininity and strength and unity. I guess this speaks to my experience and with me and my own friends, like how we are just there for each other. There’s just this unspoken strength and unity that we all have. And we just understand each other’s struggles without saying so much, you know, I guess we always call it a ‘woman’s instinct’. I wanted it to look very organic, so the first thing I did was I highlighted the woman’s feminine features, which is the waist and the breasts, and at the same time it looks like a tree. That’s the core of the installation.

And then it unfurls into three petal-like shapes. These petals are figurative of a human body, embracing each other like a wing. And from the top it looks like a circle, which is also very similar to how the previous artists have been sculpting the Three Graces, they always do it in a very ‘radial’ kind of format. So I tried to do that as well, where you can see the work turn 360º. I used pink cat-eye beads because I kind of like that it’s pink and it’s very feminine. So it’s a very simple but elegant kind of work.

I tried adding more details because if you know my previous work, it’s always very rich in details. But the more I did that, it just didn’t seem to work. So I found myself reducing it. After so many back-and-forths, I preferred it to be simple. It just looks very organic and yet feminine. And it’s the kind of work where you slowly fall in love with it the more you stare at it. That’s what the Three Graces means to me.

How do you feel about public art as an ‘experiential’ thing? Because I think once upon a time, art used to be something that was consumed in a small group or community. Today, it’s something that basically everyone can engage in. What are your thoughts on this?

That’s a very good question. I feel like public art — I feel art should be accessible to everyone. But I do understand the nature behind, you know, museums and galleries, what they’re representing. I mean, it really depends. Because at the end of the day, art is a business as well, so I understand this is how they sustain themselves. But art in its essence itself speaks to people, it connects with people, it drives culture especially. That’s why it has more ‘trust’ in people. And that’s why you see a lot of progress in culture compared to politics, right? ‘Cause it’s so sincere. And it creates some sense of identity and it speaks to people without saying so much. And that’s why you see a lot of ‘evolving’ in art.

For me, my approach is — maybe ‘cause I have an architecture background — so I really love engaging the public. I love finding stories and trying to create meaning into an existing context. And I think maybe architecture has taught me to observe the environment and people’s behaviours, and their relationship with space. So I think that adds on to my take on art, I guess. Personally, I visit a lot of public art overseas and I remember my experiences a lot. Like, it was so memorable. And I remember asking myself, like, I think I want to do this — but also, how do I do this? How do I get there?

With art being more public and more accessible, there’s a lot of exposure to AI when it comes to technology. And you’ve talked about how through art, you especially love telling stories and giving meaning and connecting with people. AI art is coming up and a lot of people are ‘buying’ into it, how do you think there might be a way to ‘combat’ that if any, or do you believe it’s something that will be coexisting with us for a long time?

It’s still an ongoing discussion because it’s still new and people are still navigating the good and the bad of using AI. For me, it’s like, the way I see it is that it’s a tool, an extra tool [for people] to work with. And I guess it’s very important that at the end of the day, you are the architect, the conductor, the one that is composing it. If you fully rely on AI to just do the art, then it defeats the purpose. Then if it’s the kind — for example, there’s this artist who uses algorithm data from waves. He sees a wave coming in, and then he manipulates it into the artwork. So I thought that was very interesting. As an artist, he knows his medium is probably data, IT and probably he has done research about behaviours of the sea and the wavelengths and all that. And then you get to translate that into some sort of artwork, you can even translate it into a 3D model. In that sense, as a tool, I think it’s brilliant.

But if you’re just saying that you came up with this work [with AI], then it becomes mediocre I guess. It’s not sincere. As a visitor who looks at this work, you won’t feel anything. And also, there’s a saying by Daniel Arsham that AI couldn’t replace human beings especially as an artist because humans make mistakes. We fail, we create accidents, we have our own journeys, and all that are translated into art. So AI can’t do that. They can always be a ‘follower’, they can study me for example, but that’s the past me. And whatever happens after that, they wouldn’t know. Your challenges, what you’re going through in your life, your family and things like that. All that is translated into your artwork. It’s a culmination of where you’re at right now. And your journey, all human beings’ journeys are so unique. It’s never the same. So that’s why you see that in art. And that’s why people connect to that, connect with the work. And they don’t even have to connect ‘accurately’.

Art has become more prevalent as a medium of ‘communication’ today, more than ever. As an artist in Malaysia, how do you think the art scene has grown thus far, and how can other local artists go ‘beyond the border’ internationally as well?

I think it’s definitely growing. Malaysia has a lot of talent, and they’re so unique. We have a very significant identity, especially because of our cultural background. I just love how unique Malaysians are. We’re not afraid, I guess, to be different. Definitely it’s still growing, but in terms of institution and community, it’s still a little bit ‘gated’. But I understand why, because it’s out of protection. Because at the end of the day, they’re coming from a place of protecting the integrity and principles that they believe in. And also, they hold onto this belief where artists shouldn’t be associated with commercial art, for example. Or that it should be graduated from an art education background. Like, I come from architecture, so some may not accept me as an ‘artist’. But what I’m thankful for though is actually the people, which I least expected. Because before this, I was in the architecture bubble. I only know the ‘built’ environment bubble, which is the contractors, engineers. That’s as far as it went. So when I embarked on this art journey, I met people ‘beyond’ myself now. And the people that I least expected to work with, like, I get to work with hospitals, health institutions, cafés, the coffee community, the MRT, Kwai Chai Hong for example, Heritage Lane. All of them have very meaningful values.

What’s next for you? What are you looking forward to in the next year or so?

I definitely still want to surprise myself by ‘embracing the unknown’. I mean, I do have a bucket list of designs and art that I wanna do and who I wanna work with. I definitely want to work with animals. I want to do something that responds to the environment, that can help with the climate — sustainability, something that helps with humanitarians as well. Agriculture. I just need to collaborate with people. I just need to meet with the people and see how my role can help in that way. That’s what I hope for.

editor-in-chief & creative direction MARTIN TEO | interview PUTERI YASMIN SURAYA | editorial team MALLIE MARAN, MELISSA FOONG | photography EDMUND LEE (ONE3FOUR STUDIO) | assisted by ZANE | videography JIA JUN POR & STANLEY LOH | art director JOYCE LIM | makeup SHENG SAW | hairstyling CODY CHUA | styled AZZA ARIF | jewellery TIFFANY & CO | wardrobe FENDI

Check out LSA100 Class of 2024 HERE.