Art and design collective Phunk had long dreamed of being photographed in the style of the rock band Kiss, so when fellow Singaporean creative AikBeng Chia approached them about his photography series Art ‘R’ Us, the idea for this shoot was born.
“Art ‘R’ Us spotlights artists who have shaped Singapore’s creative scene,” Chia says. “Phunk were keen to get involved, and even suggested the location, a kopitiam where they usually hang out and brainstorm their ideas. Kopitiams are a bit like coffee shops, but typically they feature a drink stall and several food outlets run by independent vendors offering popular Singaporean dishes,” Chia explains. “The other customers were a mixture of curious and amused.”
Pictured here are William Chan, Alvin Tan and Jackson Tan. Their fourth member, Melvin Chee, was away at the time of the shoot. Chia took the image on an iPhone 15 Pro Max. The makeup application took far longer than the shoot itself, he notes. Chia later used Adobe Lightroom to adjust contrast, shadows and highlights, and turned to the VSCO app for colour grading.
“Phunk formed in 1994, and I think that this photograph captures the strong bond they’ve shared from day one,” Chia adds.
