Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance Singapore is delighted to provide a platform for some of Singapore's brightest upcoming talent.

The artworks uses a variety of mediums and methods our local artists explore queer themes including the infinitely faceted transgender experience, journeys of self-discovery, freedom of expression, and the lived experiences of being in this tight-knit community whose identities may not align with social norms.

We invite you to be inspired by their creative spirit and celebrate the diverse selection of art from up-and-coming illustrators, animators, and artists who each share a unique perspective and lens on queer culture in Singapore.

Annie Hung is an animator and illustrator based in Singapore, working with both 2D and 3D animation mediums to bring her humanoid cat characters to life.

This illustrator and animator is known for bringing ideas surrounding body positivity, sexual exploration, sexuality, personal identity and cats to her canvas. She depicts the joyful and harsh realities of life through bright hues and quirky doodles. Get acquainted with her artworks via Annie's online portfolio.

Bhavani Bala (b.1994, India) is an illustrator, storyteller and improv coach based in Singapore. She received her BA (Hons) in Architecture at NUS in 2016, and is moving to the UK in 2022 to do a MDes in Communication Design at the Glasgow School of Art.

This bisexual artist vibrantly weaves in stories through her artwork by using colours and world-building to bridge the gap between the everyday and the extraordinary. Her art style tends to the whimsical and is reminiscent of impressionist paintings, incorporating a variety of mediums to achieve this. Her inspirations come from film, video games, and her own lived experiences, especially as a third culture kid, and her struggles with mental illness.

Joy is an illustrator, cartoonist, and designer based in sunny Singapore. They graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in illustration with a minor in art history. Their illustrations often take the form of colourful people-centered work, or inked dog comics. They work with clients internationally including NPR, Channel News Asia, National Singapore Museum, and also organise and design for the local Queer Zinefest.

Marla Bendini (b. 1986, Singapore) is a BFA Interactive Media graduate of School of Art, Design & Media (ADM), Nanyang Technological University (2013), where she focused on interactive video installations, film and performance. She started painting and making installations during her junior college education (2004).

Marla Bendini is a cross-disciplinary artist and trans woman working in painting, text, sound and performance to articulate the infinitely faceted transgender experience on her own terms.

Bendini's current painting practice uses the female gaze through a combination of writing, drawing, painting, collage and printmaking to create layered 'documentations' of a unique woman's experience.

Marla Bendini is represented by Cuturi Gallery, Singapore where she will present her 9th solo exhibition in November 2022. She has performed and exhibited in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Macau, Hong Kong, Sweden, Spain and the United States of America.

Nikkei is a Singaporean illustrator and designer who draws at work and then draws after work. Their work often involves funky colours and bold lines, and draws inspiration from the intensity and oddness of the world we live in, whether its love, comfort, religion, or gore.

Congruence is a comic inspired by a memory I hold very dear to my heart. My friend and I had just finished watching the film Love, Simon at like 2a.m., and after a while of talking, they decided to come out for the first time. It was a feeling of closeness and warmth that was hard to encapsulate, but it was so overwhelming that I almost cried.

Medium of art: Digital Illustration

Love, Varney is a comic borne from my musings about how an old-timey vampire would fit in with modern Twilight-esque vampires at the vampire academy. While I just intended to make a silly little comic at the time, I have retroactively realised that at its heart, it’s about finding people who embrace your differences rather than those who shun you for them.

Medium of art: Digital Illustration