Namiko Chan Takahashi

Early life

Born in 1975 to a Peranakan father and a Japanese mother, Chan found her strong inclination in painting and drawing since the age of four. It was clear to her that painting was her calling in life. After leaving her GCE 'O' Level examinations, she went on to study at the National Junior College, enrolling in the art elective programme.

Career beginnings

Chan read law at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law under her parents advice as they wanted her to have a good stable career. Though she did well in her course of study, Chan knew that her heart was not set on becoming a lawyer. Her artistic passion continued to thrive, immersing herself in textiles and with theatrical work in the university. Using her father's electronic equipment, Chan went into jewellery-making, and sold her designer pieces to fellow undergraduates. After graduation from in 1997, Chan started a pupillage at a local law firm, only to leave six months later. She continued to sell her own bridal jewellery designs, and taught jewellery-making to save some money to further her studies at the Art Students League of New York. In 1999, she received an arts grant from the National Arts Council, which helped pay her way through the League.

New York

In New York, though her life was exciting and filled her with much inspiration, the living costs in New York were high. Chan crammed her curriculum and took on various part-time jobs affiliated with the League. This not only helped pay for her livelihood, the work hours helped to earn her free art classes in the League. To save money on rent, she also stayed with a family who took in lodgers for free. Chan had the privilege of studying painting with illustrious US artists such as Harvey Dinnerstein, Ronnie Landfield, Daniel Greene and Mary Beth McKenzie, at the League. Despite busy schedules and tight budgets, Chan enjoyed every bit of her life in New York, meeting artists and other creative people as well as spending time at her favourite haunt - the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Chan graduated from the League in May 2002 and returned to Singapore.

Belly-dancing and Agapella

Since then she has also explored belly-dancing and co-founded the Christian contemporary a cappella group Agapella, with her husband, the poet Aaron Lee. The home-grown 14-member contemporary Christian ensemble made of young professionals infuses youthful experimentation of sound into Christian evergreens such as "The Herald Angels Sing" and "Will Follow Him".

Art Works

In November 2001, Chan showcased a series of expressionist oil paintings in her exhibition My Life as an Artist in Context with the Will of God at the Art Seasons Gallery. These paintings were created during her years with the Art Students’ League of New York. She had also donated her artwork titled Uma to the law faculty in honour of her teachers there. In turn, the faculty purchased the painting titled Untitled 4, in memory of two former faculty members who have died, Ricardo Almeida and Peter English.

A portrait of her friend and local singer Kit Chan was used as album cover illustration for Chan's Dreamscape album. On September 9, 2006, Chan and her painting Charisse won the United Overseas Bank Painting of the Year competition.

Charisse, a nude painting of a black woman representing "inner strength and determination of women of substance", was of Chan's friend and muse at the Art Students League of New York. It took 13 hours a day for two weeks to create the inspiring portrait of her friend, with whom she had lost touch since returning to Singapore. Chan received the award from President of Singapore S R Nathan at the prize presentation ceremony held at the Esplanade in full view of the inspiring painting and admired by many who were present at the ceremony.