The Artist is Apparent Interviews: How Have You Made It Work?
Photo: Larry Toh Photography
RECORDED BYFaye Lim and Hoe Su-Fern, with CITRUS Fest 2024
SUPPORTED BYArts Resource Hub and Centre 42
AUDIO EDITED BYSaturn Sound Studio
FURTHER READINGThe Artist is Apparent project aims to expand the possibilities and representations of what a thriving artistic life can look like, one that also includes care, family, and the textures that come with being both artist and parent. These newly published interviews (recorded in June 2024) with Hasyimah, Haizad, Saiful and Ice contribute towards a growing archive of lived experience that foregrounds not only the challenges but also the resourcefulness and aesthetic nuance that parenting brings to an artistic practice.
Each interview was guided by a shared set of questions that touch on the artists’ journeys and realities before and after becoming parents, with the central question being - how have you made it work? The artists share openly about their supportive communities and eco-systems, in which parenting and caregiving are perceived not as constraints, but as creative and generative spaces. They present visions of arts communities that are more accommodating, empathetic, and resilient.
With these interviews and conversations, Faye and Su Fern hope to continue the dialogue around what care and sustainability in the arts can look like. They invite you to listen with care for the artists and their stories.
Publishing these interview recordings took longer than expected as the project team was juggling their own overlapping projects, health and care responsibilities. While these interviews may have taken time to arrive, they are now available in the links below.
Interview with Hasyimah Harith and Norhaizad Adam from P7:1SMA
Interview with Saiful Amri, Independent Producer
Interview with Titisa Jeamsakul (Ice) from Miao Dance
Interviewees and team of “The Artist is Apparent” project (From left: Dr. Hoe Su-Fern, Hasyimah Harith, Norhaizad Adam, and Faye Lim)
Interviewees and team of “The Artist is Apparent” project (From left: Dr. Hoe Su-Fern, Titisa Jeamsakul and Faye Lim)
Further Resources
Parenting Artists | Parenthood in the Arts Facebook Group
Connect with fellow parenting artists in Singapore for mutual support and resource sharing.
MSF: Government-Paid Childcare Leave (GPCL) & Extended Childcare Leave (ECL)
Supports eligible working parents (including self-employed, adoptive, foster parents, step-parents and legal guardians) in caring for and enjoying quality time with their children.
The Artist is Apparent Resource Spreadsheet
Access a curated list of local and international resources related to parenting and caregiving in the arts.
A creative platform, web resource and community-based project founded in 2012
Cultural ReProducers are an evolving group of active cultural workers who are also parents. This site is for anyone interested in making the art world a more inclusive and interesting place by supporting arts professionals raising kids.
Provides resources, interviews, and community projects.
A searchable database of artists making work about reproduction and child-rearing.
