Exhibition showing Singapore through Instagrammers’ lens to tour malls in URA-InstaSG campaign

SINGAPORE – Amateur photographer and International Baccalaureate student Nathan Chong, 18, got his first professional camera only at the start of 2024.

Just six months later, he has already bagged a photography prize and a feature in an islandwide exhibition, and scored himself a new camera too.

Nathan’s moody black-and-white shot of the side profile of the ArtScience Museum on an overcast day beat out 5,600 entries for the top prize in the Mad About Singapore 2024 campaign, organised by InstaSG – a local community of Instagrammers – and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024.

The campaign, which started in 2014, portrays Singapore through Instagram posts by the community to chronicle the ways the country lives, works, plays and learns.

The St Joseph’s Institution student, who goes by @nat_graphy_ on Instagram, took home the grand prize of a Nikon camera with a lens and accessories during an event on June 22 at the atrium of the URA Centre.

“I really liked the reflection of the sky on the small window on the side (of the structure)... and I wanted to capture the ArtScience Museum in a different way,” he said. “After I took the photo, I knew it was my best photo of the day.”

His winning photo will be among a showcase of 130 images from the campaign capturing Singapore’s greenery, heritage, distinctive architecture and charming neighbourhoods, in a roving exhibition from June 22 to Aug 18. A hundred of the photographs are arranged to form the island of Singapore.

To offer a glimpse of what is to come in the URA’s Draft Master Plan 2025, which maps out the land use plans for Singapore over the next 10 to 15 years, another 32 photographs selected by the statutory board will also be on show.

Currently at the URA Centre atrium in Maxwell Road, the exhibition will subsequently travel to malls around the island, namely Funan, Kallang Wave Mall, Tiong Bahru Plaza, Westgate and Waterway Point.

The photographs from the exhibition have also been published as a book and copies will be donated to the National Library Board for distribution. 

Another person whose Instagram capture will be featured is Mad About Singapore campaign runner-up Ian Kwan, a 21-year-old polytechnic student known as @13thflickes on Instagram.

His image shows a man taking a photograph with his mobile phone from the jetty at Marina Barrage, juxtaposing the thermometer-shaped jetty against the blue waters of Marina Reservoir.

“It reminded me of an album cover by (American R&B singer) SZA,” said Mr Kwan, who has been into military aviation and street photography since he was 13 and constantly carries a camera with him in case something catches his eye.

Mr Kwan, as well as two others who were named Instagrammers of the Year – Mr Andy Lum (@Andy1um) and Mr Joshua Ng (@suspendtime) – each took home a Nikon camera with a lens and accessories.

The prizes were presented by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development Indranee Rajah, who noted in a speech that Singapore’s urban landscape has been transformed significantly over the years.

“It is fitting that this edition of Mad About Singapore embraces the Space For Our Dreams theme, showcasing our journey to becoming a liveable, inclusive, and endearing city, as we remake it for this generation and beyond,” she said.

“That’s actually a very important endeavour, because there are other cities and places which are struggling with the journey to a sustainable future... here in Singapore, we’re not only trying to make that happen, but through your Instagram shots, (we are) journalling and capturing each step as we move towards a sustainable future (for) Singapore.”