Singaporean Wilfred Cheah used to be an interior designer, before one day, just before he turned 55, he decided to follow his childhood dream and become a truly unique artist who breathes life into the mundane: using recycled material, he comes up with detailed miniature models reminiscent of items and memories from old-school Singapore.
We speak with him about how the whole thing started, his overall procedure, his inspirations, and many other topics.
How did the whole thing with making miniatures with recyclable materials begin? Are you trained in any kind of art or self-taught?
Art is born in me, I loved to draw since I was young. Growing up in a low income family with my dad as the sole bread winner, toys were mostly self made; that's the beginning, I used paper to make toys for myself then, after, at times, carefully observing others kid's toys.
There are many people talking and campaigns about reuse, recycle, reduce but as an average guy, I can't contribute much to save the environment as I see waste and waste everyday. Not until a certain day, something struck me that I can pick suitable recyclable materials and maybe make something out of it, just like the way I made my toys.
In the beginning, tt was more like a hobby and I was making small toys for my son. However, on June 2020 as I was approaching 55 years of age, I decided I wanted to do the art I loved since I was young. I retired from my 28 years as an interior designer and embarked on my miniature journey. I'm less than a year as a full time miniature artist till now, still a very junior novice; many many more to learn from the experts.
I'm a very observant person and at times, my brain exhibits photographic memory. I love to learn; even without any proper training or certification in art, I'll hands on and do it till I get it right and good. What's always presented to the public are the completed artworks, however the journey involves many trial and errors, redo and redo.
My miniatures are 100% hand made, 90% recyclable materials, no 3D printed, no machine assisted.
How do you pick your models and what inspires you to create miniatures from those particular sets? What is the appeal of the Hawker stalls?
I'm a nostalgic person, I love to collect old stuff and past items, because they are history, there's a story behind each of them. Ultimately, we are not able to keep and restore everything, especially buildings. The world is progressing fast, many things have to go, but these are our roots, our era, our heritage . The only way for future generations to understand us, in my opinion, is through my miniatures. They can be passed on for generations and our history can continue.
The provision shop was my father-in-law's. I often visited his stall and looking at his plentiful and impressive array of merchandise, I decided to challenge myself to create it into a miniature. The process wasn't easy and smooth, it took a whole month; it's one of the longest time I've spent.
Can you give us some details about your procedure of making the miniatures? How do you manage to portray such intense detail? Essentially, how patient are you?
My miniatures are along the nostalgia line, I google for their history, searching for old photos and sometimes I will ask around to gather sufficient information before I proceed. If the miniature has some past relations to myself, I try to recall as much as I can.
I always tell people this: “Think with your brain, work with your heart.” During my process, I always feel for my audience; what do they do during that time there? What do they have then? What do they use? Etc. Once you do it with you heart and start to feel, your works will have a soul, your audiences will feel. My miniatures are not 2D, it is a 3D artwork, it's not only made for the eyes but the soul as well. You can literally ‘walk through it.'
How much time do you spend on each?
That depends on what I'm making, an average of about 10 to 14 days. I work an average of 12 hours a day, everyday.
Do you sell them?
Yes I do. Most of my works are customised and commissioned for my clients. Occasionally, I still plan my schedule to make something for myself.
What are you planning to create in the future?
I've not had any personal plans yet, but it will still be in this nostalgic line and in relation to my growing up. Many things I had or seen as a kid do not exist anymore, the only references are mostly old photos. Technology is replacing many things, a simple smart phone is already a camera, video recorder, voice recorder, pen and paper, photo albus, calculator, cash and many more. Future generations will not be able to realise and relate that those apps in a smartphone were actually individual items. We can't rely on the National Museum to retain all our past, we have to create our own museum; it was our lifestyle then.
My miniatures have a life, they are my life.
