Building Castles In The Sand

And a whole lot more has since taken TAN JOO HENG from our island-nation to the rest of the world. He chats with ALETHIA TIANG about his chosen art form

- Alethia Tiang

TAN JOO HENG has been all smiles since arriving at the Ola Beach Club this morning. Even when the weather takes a turn for the worse — scorching sun one moment, gusty winds and billowing rains the next — during our photo shoot, he’s still all cheery.

“Don’t worry. The winds are so strong. It means the rain will pass us by in the next hour or so,” he reassures.

Born and raised in Singapore, Tan is the country’s only professional sand sculptor and has participated in competitions and exhibitions the world over. He is back in town to present his solo exhibition, Shifting Sand 2, which features seven sculptures and an interactive exhibit as part of Sentosa’s Sandsation 2017 this month. This year also marks his 20th year in the profession.

Tan waded into the world of sand sculpting in 1997, when a lecturer at his alma mater LASALLE College of the Arts invited the class to try it out at the beach. Tan discovered his affinity with sand. “I’ve tried clay, glass and mixed media but sand is really special to me,” he says. “Each is just a small grain but [with it] I can build sculptures up to 10m high.”

Right from the start, it has been as if it is the sand that is drawing him in: “I don’t hunt for jobs or projects. Most of the time, people approach me to do sand sculptures for them.”