'Art isn't pointless': Singapore student photographer, 19, aces subject in A-Levels, lands offer to pursue fine arts in UK

SINGAPORE — Student photographer Yvette Lim Jun Yan could hardly believe her eyes when she read an email in July 2021 inviting her to exhibit her works in Milan, Italy.

She thought it was an outright scam, because why would a global art collective want to feature a 19-year-old amateur from St Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC) here whose work was showcased on an Instagram account that had just about 100 followers?

However, it turned out to be a golden opportunity for the budding artist, after her SAJC art teacher, Ms Corinne Lee, verified that the offer from the curator of the Milanese exhibition — ImageNation — was legitimate.

Since then, the student's photographic works have graced the pages of international fashion publications such as the French magazine Malvie, Canada-based indie magazine Flanelle, as well as Pump, a global fashion publication.

Yet, she recalled being told by others that a career in art is pointless, something that she disagrees with completely.

Miss Lim, who first developed an interest in art when she was five years old and decided to take art as an H2 subject in junior college, said: “I remember feeling a bit angry hearing people say that art is not as important as science, and studying art is a waste of time."

As if proving her point, Miss Lim received an A in H2 Art when she collected her A-Levels results on Friday (Feb 17). She recorded two Bs and two Cs in her other subjects.

Subjects in junior colleges may be offered as H1, H2 and H3. The "H" stands for "Higher" and each level is different in terms of depth of study.

Miss Lim was one of the 10,930 or so A-Level candidates who received their results on Friday. Out of this cohort, 93.4 per cent, or 10,206 candidates, attained at least three H2 passes, with a pass in General Paper or Knowledge and Inquiry, the Ministry of Education said.

This is comparable to the performance of candidates for the GCE A-Level examination in past years.

Speaking to TODAY, Miss Lim said that she felt happy at her results, which were within her expectations.

“I’m particularly relieved at getting an A in H2 Arts, considering that I spent a lot of effort and time on my (photography) project,” she said. Her project, which was a key component of her syllabus, was about inter-generational trauma and took about 10 months to complete.

She now intends to pursue a university education and has received an offer from Goldsmiths, University of London, to enrol in its Bachelor of Fine Arts programme. She is also considering studying architecture at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

INTEREST IN ART SPARKED IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

Miss Lim developed an interest in the arts as a young child with support from her parents, who enrolled her into various classes such as ballet and Chinese traditional painting in her youth.  

It was only when she pursued an arts elective in Zhonghua Secondary School that photography became her favourite art form. Her strong interest in it led to her decision to take H2 Arts in junior college.

She recalled facing the challenges of juggling her school responsibilities and pursuing her interests in the arts.

“I had lesser time to do photography as the A-Levels drew close. It was difficult for me to set my art projects aside because sometimes, I have a big idea I really want to try out,” she said.

To cope with the different commitments and prioritise her studies, she created a schedule to manage her time well, allocating only two sessions in a month for photography.

She also devoted time to her artistic interests by pursuing her personal projects and committing to an arts collective with six of her friends who delve into various arts specialties.

The group of friends initiated the collective in October 2021 and work together on commissioned fashion photography projects, which numbers about four to five in a month. 

SAJC teacher Caroline Sin said that Miss Lim was a reserved and a model student when she taught the General Paper subject in the student's class.

“Her reserved nature really belies a lot of inner strengths, creativity and a very imaginative mind. She puts a lot of talent and energy in the things that she is interested in,” Ms Sin said.

Miss Lim said that she is thankful for the people around her who are supportive of her interests.

She feels nervous sending her work to international publications and she could not have done so without the support and constant encouragement from her parents, friends and teachers.

“I learned that if my family and friends believe in me, then I should also believe in the beauty of my work.” 

As for the negative stereotypes about a career in the arts field, Miss Lim said she has come to a realisation that these stereotypes exist due to ignorance and narrow-mindedness.

"They are not judgemental, it’s just that they have not been taught how to appreciate art as I was able to,” she added.