The Younger Generation Of Change-Makers

Singapore, we need to have the talk (or several talks): the one about race, migrant workers, and even mental health. But ready or not, this younger generation of change-makers is taking on these social issues head-on

- Hashirin Nurin Hashimi

“Art is a powerful tool to facilitate healing. We want to help people connect with their emotions” —QUINN LUM

MENTAL HEALTH

HUN MING KWANG, 28, AND QUINN LUM, 28, SOCIAL ARTIST DUO HUNNY AND LUMMY

Whether as a CEO, an office worker, or a student, we all wear different “masks” every day. “We see the world for who we are. We put on different identities based on the roles, responsibilities, social groups, expectations imposed in us, that we lose touch with the core of who we are inside,” says Hun Ming Kwang (pictured right), one-half of social artist duo Hunny and Lummy.

Since March, the pair have been running mask-making workshops as part of their Masks of Singapore Movement. Integrating the traditional cultural heritage craft of mask-making, each workshop engaged with participants to help them reconnect with their inner selves and boost mental health and emotional wellness.

Such participatory work is at the heart of their artistic practice, where the role of an artist is one of a social healer. “Art is a powerful tool to facilitate healing. We want to help people connect with their emotions—and that is the important part of what we do,” shares Quinn Lum, the other half of the artist duo.