idyllic fairyland
Since returning to Singapore from a filmmaking course in the US in 2007, photographer Nguan has travelled far and wide to capture the country's forgotten corners, from street vendors to pastel spiral staircases.
"Singapore is very clean and tidy but you don't usually get any feeling when you think about this country. No one thinks it's beautiful. So I wanted to capture Singapore as a place like in a fairy tale," Nguan shared.
Using a film camera from the 90s, Nguan combines documentary filmmaking techniques and artistic photography skills to create dreamy, sweet photos.
These photos have appeared in two bestselling photo books, How Loneliness Goes and Singapore.
private space in public housing
According to Singapore government research, more than 80% of the country's population lives in public housing, which is where Nguan focused his photography.
Nguan is particularly fond of photographing corridors in public housing estates because they contain stories of the complex lives that go on inside the buildings.
"Many residents consider the corridor areas outside their apartments as their own. They take great pride in the way they decorate, placing altars on pillars, planting rows of potted plants and drying clothes outside."
the marks of time
Nguan sees Singapore as a nation in a state of turmoil between nostalgia for the past and concern for the future.
"The rapid development has caused a deep nostalgia for Singaporeans, as the country they miss has either disappeared or changed too quickly."
However, many areas still retain vestiges of the past in the form of shophouses, a colonial-era building style combining houses and shops found across Southeast Asia.
In addition, Nguan said that since childhood he has been "obsessed" with stairs that are often found behind architectural works.
But these colorful structures face an uncertain future. Not all of the staircases are protected by the country's conservation regulations, and the ones in Nguan's photos could be demolished next spring.
Other familiar motifs in Nguan's work are street vendors, religious festivals, weddings and funerals... He also frequently shoots natural scenes, because "Singapore is a big city that originated from the jungle and I want to prove that our true nature is not just bricks and stones".
