It all began in 2008, when he encountered his first illustrator’s block. Out of ideas, he picked up a camera instead- and honestly, we owe that creative dry spell a sincere thank you.
Aik Beng Chia- “ABC” to many- is now one of Singapore’s most celebrated photographers, known for capturing the wit and grit of the everyday. Entirely self-taught, he started with an iPhone 2G, posting daily snapshots of his life in Singapore to Instagram. These images quickly established him as a pioneer of mobile photography. For Chia, though, it’s never just about the gear-it’s the emotion and urge to “make sense of the world” by pinning down the chaos of daily life.
I first met him in a bar in Bangkok’s Chinatown, where we sat down to talk about photography, his latest projects, and what it means to be a visual archivist. He arrived punctually, sporting a gloriously odd “Jesus” print hat, and had me grinning the moment he launched into Singlish (for which I admit, I have a soft spot). With those little lahs punctuating his sentences like musical exclamation marks, the man is living proof that a good accent can be as much an art form as a photograph!
Chia’s vivid street portraiture is rich, raw, and gritty. Known as a documentary and street photographer, he prefers the more enigmatic label: “visual archivist.” His design background shapes his strong composition and framing, but his primary focus is on documenting, preserving, and making sense of cultural memory. He cleverly captures the layered identity of contemporary Singaporean society, focusing on human social behavior and emotion in individual stories.
When describing his style, he emphasized valuing authenticity over staged perfection, capturing the “mundane, unexpected, and singular moments.” He regularly engages with people on the streets. Although he has worked in black and white, his photography is best known for its bold, vibrant color—”it animates the ordinary and expresses emotion,” he explained. “I use it to create rhythm in an image.”
Chia is a big fan of zines. He sees these raw, self-published works as a rebellious antidote to the somewhat polished art world. For him, zines are a direct, personal way to share a story without needing permission or approval.
We also spoke about the contrast between Asian and Western photography. Chia shared that Asian work seems “quieter, more restrained”, focused on the unsaid while Western photography feels “more direct and individualistic.” “I value both and enjoy exploring the creative space in between,” he told me. This cultural sensitivity is central to his approach and reflected in his photography. He shapes his method by local context, sometimes staying observant, sometimes engaging, always respecting the moment and his subjects.
His style centers on feeling, not staged perfection. Chia finds poetry in the ordinary: “A great photo is not about technical perfection, it’s more about emotion. A great photo makes you feel something or makes you pause for a moment.” While he’s used everything from an iPhone to a Leica, he believes the camera is simply a tool that influences his process but does not define the image: “The iPhone taught me simplicity; the Leica forces me to slow down. But it’s the eye, not the gear, that tells the story.”
Despite his international acclaim, Chia remains deeply rooted in the local arts scene in Singapore and Southeast Asia. He is actively involved in community projects, workshops, and exhibitions, where he also mentors aspiring photographers. His influence extends beyond the realm of photography; he has collaborated with musicians, filmmakers, and other artists to create multimedia installations and immersive experiences that blur the lines between photography, video, and sound.
One of his most recent projects, SingKarPor Remixed Reality, showcases his drive to constantly evolve. He took over 15 years of his street photography and turned it into large-scale collages, a visual remix of Singapore’s diverse cultures. The result is a beautiful, messy and whimsical collection of snapshots that tell a story from a unique perspective.
Chia also explores digital nostalgia with his AI project “Return to Bugis Street”, rooted in personal childhood memories of the vibrant, notorious street- a former hub for the transgender and transsexual community. Redeveloped in the 1980s into a modern shopping centre, the original Bugis Street lives on through Chia’s meticulous process: sketching concepts, assembling mood boards, and crafting detailed AI prompts that draw inspiration from 1970s fashion to street food. His background as an art director is a significant advantage in this project. Each generated image is clear in his mind regarding composition, lighting, and mood. Post production enhances the authentic, vintage, film-like aesthetic with customized grain and color grading. As ever, Chia expresses his need to conserve memory and preserve the history of a place that is no longer there.
Driven by curiosity, Aik Beng Chia continues to find inspiration in both celebrated filmmakers and everyday encounters. He approaches his work with humility and wit, demonstrating that artistic discovery can arise in the most unexpected places- even from a plate of rojak at a hawker centre! *
* For those unfamiliar with Singapore, hawker centres are vibrant, iconic public open-air food courts offering affordable and beloved street food form the country’s diverse cultures. And Rojak is a spicy-sweet fruit and vegetable salad that reflects Singapore’s unique blend of Chinese, Malay and Indian influences.
Silvia Donà