Artist Voices: Lavender Chang

Lavender Chang creates conceptual photography that observes the intangible. With one foot in reality and the other in an ethereal world, her subjects become mesmerising in their ability to bring beauty to everyday life in Singapore. Whether observing a bus journey, or the intimate lives of individuals and couples, Lavender’s photography has captured and connected whole communities.

As part of our 25^th anniversary celebrations, we spoke to Lavender about her career, where she finds inspiration, and her personal take on career ‘advice’.

Find out where it all began, and how Affordable Art Fair has played a part in her journey, with our in-depth video and interview.

Where does Lavender source her inspiration?

For Lavender, everything begins with curiosity. There’s lots of experiment in her work, whether that arises from process or subject matter. Often, she is most inspired by the mundane; things that exist in our everyday life that we can’t always see directly with our eyes, and are only able to appreciate the beauty of it after its documentation.

“We are all surrounded by different kinds of beauty.”

Series: Don’t Walk In Front Of Me, I May Not Follow | Title: Don’t Walk In Front Of Me, I May Not Follow #3 | 2021

She’s interested to find out what her audience’s reflections are on these mundanities. When they look at her work, they create their own reflections and their own interpretations, which is a process of sharing that makes Lavender feel complete. Once her audience observe her work, they are connected and, in a way, will never be able to leave her life.  

And this doesn’t just apply to recent work. When asked about her favourite projects, Lavender’s approach is never to regret any artistic output. She feels attached to, and still loves all her projects, even their perceived imperfections.

“If I’m showing it to the public, it’s my favourite.” 

How does Lavender inspire emotive reactions?

Firstly, there is no singular, one emotion Lavender hopes to generate in her audience. She wants your thoughts to be horizontal, or broadened, in the sense that communication and shared experiences can extend both world views and intimate emotional landscapes. Every series Lavender creates hosts a sense of her trying to figure out her own connection to the world, with each series presenting the next chapter in a book that might never be finished.

Audience interaction is really important. Being present at her exhibitions, she’s able to speak to people who often share their interpretations towards the artwork, which is a completely different experience than simply reading an artwork description or artist bio. Sometimes, talking about the mundane reveals things that people never knew about each other. She wants to really know and understand the people of Singapore, for which this is a vital step.

What advice does Lavender have for emerging artists, and what are her own next steps?

Lavender doesn’t necessarily believe that ‘advice’ is the right word. Rather, love for the craft, enjoyment of the creative process, and a celebration for the proceeding journey – these are all attributes that can’t be taught, or advised. She doesn’t think that building a career is a process that benefits from being quick. Instead, it’s all about whether you have the heart to continue.

“Like planting a tree, you don’t see the sprout immediately, but you will see results later.”

Series: Unconsciousness: Consciousness | Title: Unconsciousness: Consciousness #13 | 2011-2020

Lots of people crave fast, easy success, but from Lavender’s perspective it’s essential to consider how long you can, and want to, last in your artistic space.

Rather than what’s next, Lavender loves to share what’s happening right now. She has a new, exciting project underway with Viagra. Initially, people were surprised by this collaboration, not just by its commerciality, but also how it might relate to her work. But, it’s all about connection, with three real couples photographed over the course of four hours. She feels honoured to have had the opportunity to hear their experiences and capture their respective re-connections. And this is testament to Lavender’s ability to put her subjects at ease; they’re all real people, and she never asks them to change in any way.

She is currently working on a documentary feature film with John Clang who is a Singaporean visual artist based in New York. Her artwork ‘Sheltered Dreams’ is a commissioned piece with a permanent place in the Peranakan Musuem.

From film festivals to TED talks, it hs been wonderful to follow Lavender’s career as it continues to grow. We can’t wait to see what comes next!

You can follow Lavender on Instagram at @lavchang or visit her website to keep up with all her exciting endeavours.