From teacher to 'artrepreneur'

The switch in career from teaching to becoming an 'artrepreneur' may sound like a huge leap at one broad stroke.

But Mr Ken Chang's mission - to educate the public about art - remains the same.

'When Singapore announced the building of the integrated resorts, I had the idea that Singapore must be a hub for the arts scene in Asia,' said the 36-year-old.

He set up Y2Arts in January this year to help new- generation artists push boundaries and help energise the industry.

Armed with a major in the history of art and fine art from the University of Reading in Britain, he had taught the subject for seven years at Peirce Secondary School before creating his art management company.

His current focus is on Chinese contemporary art and he will be staging highly acclaimed Chinese artist Wang Yiqiang's first solo exhibition here.

It will be held from Dec 4 to Dec 9 at the ARTrium @ MICA building.

He believes that opportunities for Singapore's young artists will soon be plentiful.

'My advice is that they should try to learn as much as possible and be exposed to different areas, from skills to materials to even the art market,' said the man who cannot find time to paint these days.