We want a vibrant cultural city, but we also want it to be safe, predictable, well-defined. Singaporeans, trained to think of practical things such as production, efficiency and profits, tend to view art as a marginal occupation. Like most local artists, Pang relies on another job for his livelihood. A former civil servant, he is now a web journalist. Chua teaches part time to make ends meet, while playwright Alfian is studying medicine, which he is interested in.
Some artists are skeptical about the government's more open attitude.
Alfian fears that authorities are easing up on the arts while keeping a tight rein on everything else. Art is being co-opted by the state. But attitudes are changing. Take Alfian's first verse anthology, published in 1998. Today, the poem is part of the English literature curriculum at the National University.