Singaporean artist Priyageetha Dia believes art is a medium to express her identity and struggles as a minority female artist in Singapore. She tells CNA Women about her eventful journey as an artist, from her controversial gold-foiled HDB staircase in 2017 to her exhibition at Singapore Art Week 2024.
When Priygaeetha Dia was in primary school, she would spend hours immersed in her colouring books. No one in her family had an artistic bent, and yet Dia was drawn to all things visual – drawing, colour, design, painting and photography.
“Art seemed like the only thing I could do,” Dia said. “Painting and colouring came naturally to me, and I didn’t experience that with any other subject or activity.”
That passion for the visual arts never waned – she took Art at O Levels, and later, in 2013, entered LASALLE College of the Arts to pursue a bachelor's degree in fine arts.
Becoming an artist was practically a given, even though studying art took some getting used to.
“In LASALLE, I had a bit of a culture shock, but it was the good kind,” she said. “Not only did I learn formal ways of doing art and the history of how the art came to be, I was also more exposed to the political and social parts of art.
“When I learned about how artists in the past used their work for social activism and calling out issues, I resonated with them,” she added.
“These were the aspects of the industry that I found myself drawn to. It reminded me of why art was important.”
It inspired her to use her art to call attention to social issues in Singapore and the region. Her work features themes such as racial identity and relationships, and class inequality.
The 31-year-old Singaporean has exhibited at National Gallery Singapore, Singapore Art Museum and the galleries at Gillman Barracks.
Dia is also part of Singapore Art Week 2024, showing new work at the Passages exhibition, which was inspired by her art residency in the Netherlands. From Jan 19 to 28, visitors can catch her soundscapes portraying the impact of colonialism on Malaysian plantations.
