The phrase “work in progress” comes up a lot over these recent years, and, as corny as it sounds, it totally encapsulates my time with Ngiap Heng. Ngiap Heng is probably one of a handful of people in my life I regard as a shifu, and to whom I go when I seek to better myself holistically. His work in photography and his unique insight of dance transcend his specialized command of these two forms, and perhaps even art itself.

Fundamentally, his photography directs the viewer back to fundamental questions such as: What do we really love? Why do we do it? And why must it even be done at all? Like the lens zooming in and out, creating the micro and the macro picture, I’ve been consistently trying to find the impossible snapshot of who I am; hence, at times, I seem like a mystery even to him.

In the world of languages, I’m an author and translator. This spills over to every other aspect of my practice: in film, dance, and most notably music—which I’m known for to him and, perhaps, to most in the local community. Still, my hunger for consuming art far outweighs my output, because even today, learning still feels like a very long road ahead. I, too, after all, am a work in progress.