André Wee wanted to do something with medicine but realised that working in art was his calling. His parents—thank God—supported his choice. When he enrolled in college, Wee was introduced to oil paintings, charcoals, watercolours, the works. He was encouraged to enter his pieces into art competitions. "I was like, hey look who got a free handphone from this, and they were convinced that maybe there was something into doing art full-time.
At the time, Wee was a staunched traditionalist; eschewing the use of digital tools for their art. "We were so resistant against it that we would base all our coursework on the most extreme traditional forms. For example, I'd use only a ballpoint pen to draw entire large-scale images and paintings."
It'd seem that Wee had erected a seemingly impenetrable defence but the cracks appeared when he used MSN Chat. He'd play around with the instant messaging client, doodling with this mouse and sending said drawing to his friends. The walls further lowered when he was Enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design; that was when Wee dived into the world of digital art. "I couldn't get into a class I wanted and was placed into a digital coding creative class," Wee says. "It's primarily used for architecture but instead of creating a building, I created a portrait."
That was a little over 10 years ago. Since then, Wee has honed his craft in the digital art form. You'd find him sketching daily on his iPad. "I'd use the Procreate app, ZBrush for my sketch sculpting and Blender for modelling illustrations."
He still returns to the well of traditional art. Wee tells us that it's his way of touching grass. "It reminds me of why I still work in the digital landscape because that was how I first fell in love with drawing and painting in the first place." And what a wonderful position to be in, with one foot in the past and the other in the future.
The Luggage
Celebrating its 115th anniversary, Samsonite introduces the New Streamlite, a reimagined collection that pays tribute to the future of travel. First introduced in the 1940s, the original Streamlite became a cornerstone of Samsonite’s history. Renowned for cladding the exterior with lithographed paper to give it that distinctive leather-look textured finish, it set a new benchmark in luggage design, making the Streamlite a bestseller.
Taking what worked, Samsonite reinvents the New Streamlite that boasts its signature aesthetic with a modern twist. Now with cutting-edge materials and engineering like the Aero-Trac™ Whirl Suspension Wheels that minimise rolling vibration and noise; a TSA-approved lock framed exterior shell; high-quality jacquard packing cubes and a luggage cover for an organised and breezy travel.
Available in two luggage sizes (55cm; 75cm) and in two colourways (Admiral Blue; Bermuda Green), the New Streamlite comes with a Resort Print lining which is a modern interpretation of the classic English paisley pattern.
With only 2,025 pieces available globally, the scarcity only adds to the allure of the New Streamlite. Each luggage will bear an engraved serial number and a monogrammable tag.
Photography: Shawn Paul Tan
Creative Direction and Styling: Asri Jasman
Grooming: Vic Hwang
Photography Assistant: Chay Wei Kang
Styling Assistant: Erica Zheng
For more info, visit the Samsonite Singapore website
