I first remember meeting Zachary Ho when he was studying at the Theatre Training & Research Programme, started by Kuo Pao Kun. And we have kept meeting at various productions over the years. He has a very organic energy in his physical theatre practice, a trait that comes through in his portraits with me.
In his endeavour to capture narrative fragments over the years, to find beauty and compassion in the ephemeral, no one has given Ngiap Heng enough credit as an arts historian.
Through the years of crouching and squinting behind the lens, Ngiap Heng and his tireless work ethic, and ability to put people around him at ease, stand out for me.
He attends rehearsals in the evenings and during weekends, often after his own working hours. He jokes that his job pays him enough to afford him these liberties, but don’t let his easy smile fool you—we have merely been witnesses to his love affair with the arts.
Thank you, Ngiap Heng, for the privilege.