“Happy 25th anniversary to SSIS, a special place that has fostered the growth of so many talented and interesting individuals. Here’s to 25 years and more! ”
These were the well wishes of Clara PEH, a former SSIS student who is now flourishing in Singapore’s art scene.
About Clara
Clara completed her schooling with SSIS in 2015 and then went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree with honours at Yale-NUS College in Economics with a minor in Art History. She then moved to London to complete her master’s degree in History of Art with distinction at the Courtauld Institute of Art. This was when her passion for art really blossomed, and she decided to make a career out of it.
Clara has since made significant contributions to art in Singapore. She currently leads the art programme at an experimental multi-concept project, Appetite. Prior to this, she worked in the Residencies team at the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art, a leading contemporary art institution.
“In my role, I work closely with artists, researchers and collectors to bring art into a transdiciplinary space, where art is placed directly in conversation with food and music. Beyond curating our on-site exhibitions, my team and I also provide consultancy services for private clients and collectors.”
Enjoy the Learning Curve
While Clara was used to being a student of art, she switched it up at the beginning of the year and took on a role as a lecturer at LASALLE College of the Arts in January. She currently supervises dissertations for bachelor’s fine art students, and teaches contextual and cultural studies to undergraduate and diploma students.
“While I’ve held tutoring jobs in the past, delivering lectures to a room full of students was a very different experience. I also started lecturing while still working full-time and across different freelance work, so it was a steep learning curve, but I’ve come to really enjoy teaching. “
Clara has also entered the world of blockchain technology by writing about non-fungible tokens (NFT) that have gained popularity for its ability to support digital art and collectibles. She founded the NFT Asia community on Discord and Twitter, which runs events for artists to share resources and network. She has been invited by different technology platforms to provide commentary on NFTs, and is working on a physical NF exhibition.
Inquisitive, Critical Thinker
The IBDP programme at SSIS was instrumental in Clara being able to take on her various roles successfully. She said the subjects she studied across the different fields of knowledge encouraged her to be an inquisitive, critical thinker.
“Theory of Knowledge, in particular, pushed me to really think about questions like what knowledge is, where it comes from and who gets to shape it. These experiences really laid a strong foundation for me to approach my liberal arts college degree more confidently.”
“The creativity, activity, service (CAS) component of IB prepared me very well for university and my current work, as it was really a strong catalyst for me to get out of my comfort zone, take on different ideas and see how far I could take them. Multitasking with the various CAS projects allowed me to develop my confidence in pitching my ideas, collaborate with different people, learn to lead and be comfortable with public speaking.”
“These are skills incredibly central to my work today, but they are also core skills that I think are useful in any field or career.“
Clara Peh, SSIS Class of 2015
Thankful
“I was fortunate to have met many teachers who were nurturing and compassionate during my time at SSIS.”
The caring and nurturing attitudes from teachers left a lasting impact on Clara, because they made the effort to listen to her and believed in her potential. This helped her greatly to succeed at school and beyond. She now plans to continue working in the contemporary art ecosystem, championing artworks and artists, and hopes to complete her PhD.
SSIS wishes Clara all the best in everything she does!
Know more about:
