Up-Front with Front and Off-Centre
Front and Off-Centre
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Up-Front is a podcast where hosts speak with guests about their creative practices. The first season focuses on entrepreneurs in Singapore and how they get things done. The show is produced by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee.
Epizódy
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Ivan Brehm | S5E1 16.09.2026 59minToday’s guest is Ivan Brehm. Ivan is the chef-owner behind the Michelin-starred Nouri and the creative space Appetite in Singapore. He is known for his thoughtful approach to food and creativity. Central to his work is "Crossroads Thinking”, a method that emphasises the connections and interdependence of all things. This approach extends beyond cooking, offering a way to foster creativity, innovation, and effective team dynamics by showing how diversity, when understood and integrated into a whole, can lead to remarkable outcomes.In this episode, Nadya Wang sits down with Ivan to explore how connections fuel creativity, the joy of working with his team and their collaborators, and how Nouri and appetite anchor big dreams in daily execution. Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Nadya Wang and Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Nathan Yong | S4E5 09.09.2026 57minToday’s guest is Nathan Yong. Nathan is a Singaporean designer, artist, curator and educator whose multidisciplinary practice spans furniture, objects, spatial installations and exhibitions. Working across the boundaries of art and design, he is recognised for creating works that combine material intelligence, engineering precision and quiet emotional resonance. Nearly 20 years ago, he founded Nathan Yong Design and co-founded Grafunkt. More recently, he founded Nathan Home. He is also Programme Leader, BA(Hons) Product Design at LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts, Singapore.In this episode, hosted by Nadya Wang, Nathan talks about the freedom he was given as a child to play and imagine, which served him well in his education, the hardships of running a business, his respect for materials, and his wish to focus next on his art practice. Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Imran bin Tajudeen | S4E4 02.09.2026 1h 11minToday’s guest is Imran bin Tajudeen. Imran bin Tajudeen is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Malay Studies and the Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore, where he teaches topics on identity and representation through the arts, built heritage, and urban history in Singapore and maritime Southeast Asia. He researches the material and discursive outcomes of the colonial encounter on the heritage construction of vernacular architecture and indigenous urbanism, traditional settlements, and their associated tropes. He also examines Southeast Asia’s historical mosque forms and ornaments in the context of transregional interactions and translations across the region’s vernacular and Indic architectural legacies and under colonial rule.In this episode, hosted by Nadya Wang, Imran talks about the role of creativity in academic research, the collaborative nature of his work, and interactions with the public to share knowledge. Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Dr Kat Agres | S4E3 27.08.2026 59minToday’s guest is Dr Kat Agres. She is an Assistant Professor at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore, and Founder of the Centre for Music and Health (CMH). Her research investigates music cognition, music and health, and computational creativity. Prior to joining NUS, Dr Kat led the Music Cognition group at the Institute of High Performance Computing at A*STAR in Singapore. In addition to her scientific role, she has played cello professionally, and she still loves playing music in her free time. In this episode, hosted by Ian Tee, Kat talks about her background growing up in a musical family, the interdisciplinary field of music cognition and her research on the impacts of music on health and well-being.Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Dr Nadya Wang | S4E2 20.08.2026 50minToday’s guest is Dr Nadya Wang. She holds a PhD in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art. She is also Editor, Open Space and Reviews at the International Journal of Fashion Studies. Her book Her World, Women and Fashion in Singapore 1974-1989: Accidental Career Girl to Working Mother of the Year, published by Bloomsbury, is out now. As an entrepreneur, Nadya runs From the Margins, which comprises From the Margins Education, magazines Art & Market (A&M) and Fashion & Market (F&M), as well as cultural agency Front & Off-Centre In this episode, hosted by Ian Tee, Nadya talks about straddling academic and business practices, broadening the discourse for Southeast Asian fashion and grounding creativity with a sense of purpose.Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Dr Roopa Dewan | S4E1 12.08.2026 53minToday’s guest is Dr Roopa Dewan, a Singapore-based educator, museum docent, and art patron. She holds a doctorate in Linguistics and has a distinguished career teaching at institutions such as Singapore American School. A long-time docent with STPI and National Gallery Singapore, Roopa has also helped write and implement education outreach programmes. Together with her husband, Shiv, she is an active collector of works by artists from Southeast Asia, and supports arts and arts-education initiatives locally and beyond. IIn this episode, hosted by Ian Tee, Roopa talks about how the psychology of language learning impacted her teaching philosophy, guiding as conveying the magic of art and the serendipitous nature of life.Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Justin Zhuang, In Plain Words | S3E5 01.06.2026 41minToday’s guest is Justin Zhuang. He is a writer and researcher, and co-founder of Singapore-based writing studio In Plain Words. In 2013, Justin was awarded the DesignSingapore Scholarship to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Design Criticism at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Since returning home, Justin has continued researching local design through his writings, teaching work, and the Singapore Graphic Archives, a digital repository he started. Important titles he has worked on include: Everyday Modernism: Architecture and Society in Singapore; Mok Wei Wei: Works by W Architects; and Fifty Years of Singapore Design, among others. In this episode, hosted by Ian Tee, Justin talks about his background in journalism, what criticism means to him, as well as In Plain Words’ latest book titled Critical of/for What? Notes on Criticality in Singapore Design Education and Practice (2026).Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Aqilah Zailan, Studio Gypsied | S3E4 25.05.2026 45minToday’s guest is Aqilah Zailan. As a Malay Singaporean of Javanese descent, She unpacks identity and memory through batik, a cloth synonymous with the peoples and cultures of the Malay Archipelago (Nusantara). With a focus on Javanese batik, Studio Gypsied designs womenswear that intuitively connects the wearer to an identity—an act of coming home.In this episode, hosted by Nadya Wang, Aqilah talks about when she first discovered her love–and knack–for retail, engaging with customers for more than a decade, and honouring her roots and she continues to innovate. Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Bea Camacho | S3E3 18.05.2026 38minToday’s guest is Bea Camacho. She is a visual artist and Regional Director for Southeast Asia at IDEO. Her artistic practice spans performance, installation, and video, exploring memory, the body, and material gestures. Alongside her art practice, she works at IDEO as a design consultant applying human-centered design to help organizations develop new products, services and user experiences.In this episode, hosted by Nadya Wang, Bea talks about the foundations of her practice, working between art and design, and what creativity means to her. Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Berny Tan, Artist and Curator | S3E2 11.05.2026 46minToday’s guest is Berny Tan, who is a Singapore-based artist and curator. Her curatorial projects reflect an interest in illuminating the processes and materialities of art-making, and how artists' sensibilities transcend the mediums they work. Berny holds a Masters in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths, University of London, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual & Critical Studies from the School of Visual Arts. Between 2021 and 2024, she organised 8 curatorial projects in Singapore, while continuing to present her artwork in solo and group exhibitions. Most recently, Berny joined the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) as Curator of the Design Collection initiative, which explores expanded creative practices at the intersection of design and contemporary art. In this episode, hosted by Ian Tee, Berny talks about the tensions explored in her artworks, research directions taken by SAM’s Design Collection initiative, and what it means to be an artist-curator. Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Larry Peh, &Larry | S3E1 04.05.2026 54minToday’s guest is Larry Peh, the founder and Creative Director of &Larry, an independent branding studio in Singapore. A two-time President’s Design Award recipient, he champions soul-driven design, focusing on the essence that powers purpose to create meaningful brand experiences rooted in clarity, authenticity, and lasting impact. In this episode, hosted by Nadya Wang, Larry talks about the twists and turns of his practice, his recent exhibition XX&L: 20 Years of Tom, Dick &Larry and Normat, his newest venture making sake. Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Kapilan Naidu, Media Artist and Creative Technologist | S2E5 23.03.2026 47minToday’s guest is Kapilan Naidu, who is a media artist, designer and creative technologist. He uses interactive elements and real-time data to create works that span across mixed-reality experiences, screen-based installations and computer programmes. Kapi has exhibited at venues such as National Gallery Singapore, Singapore Art Museum, and ArtScience Museum, among others. He also frequently collaborates with Singapore-based artist Jo Ho as part of the collective jo+kapi. In this episode, hosted by Ian Tee, Kapi talks about the influence of game design in his practice, the common misconceptions about working with large language models, and what it means to create artworks that are “machine readable and human compatible”. Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Wang Zineng, Art Agenda | S2E4 05.03.2026 51minToday’s guest is Wang Zineng, Founder and Director of Art Agenda, a gallery and advisory that specialises in Asian modern and post-war art. He has nearly two decades of experience in Southeast Asian art sales and curation. In 2025, Zineng established ANNEXE, an auction platform that aims to run innovative online sales. In this episode, hosted by Ian Tee, Zineng talks about his early interest in Southeast Asian studies, the work behind preparing an auction sale, and what it means to define one’s own definition of success. Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Diana Tay, BARC Labs | S2E3 26.02.2026 41minToday’s guest is Dr Diana Tay, Principal Conservator and Founder of BARC Labs, a fine art conservation studio based in Singapore. She has over 15 years of experience in museums and collections around the world, and leads a team dedicated to redefining how art is cared for, understood, and sustained. Through BARC Labs, she continues to build a growing ecosystem that bridges research, education, and conservation.In this episode, hosted by Nadya Wang, we learn about Diana’s journey from civil service to entrepreneurship, how she is in the business of trust, and her plans to make conservation more accessible.Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Margaret Wang, SUPER PROJECTS | S2E2 20.02.2026 41minMeet Margaret Wang, who is Managing Partner at Recharge Capital, where she leads the firm’s women’s healthcare investments, and CEO of Rhea Fertility. Margaret serves on the Board of Creative Time, a New York–based public arts organisation supporting socially engaged artists. She is a co-founder of SUPER PROJECTS, a Singapore-based nonprofit commissioning site-specific contemporary art and public programmes. As a collector, her interests centre on material experimentation, diasporic narratives, and the aesthetics of care. She has also moderated panel discussions at S.E.A. Focus, Art Basel Hong Kong, and most recently, STPI Symposium 2026: The Politics of Print.In this episode, hosted by Ian Tee, Margaret speaks about what a life in the arts means to her, the different forms of patronage needed, and how she aims to build more networks that connect local and international art scenes.Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit https://frontandoffcentre.com -
Angela Tan, ART:DIS | S2E1 09.02.2026 55minMeet Angela Tan, who is Executive Director of ART:DIS (Arts & Disability Singapore), where she works closely with her team to support the professional practice development of disability arts in Singapore. Their work centres on building sustained pathways for artists with disabilities through education, mentorship and commissions, with an emphasis on long-term artistic growth and viability. In this episode, hosted by Nadya Wang, Angela speaks about shape-shifting in her creative practice, thought leadership in the arts and disability space, and creating more opportunities for showcases and interactions in the community. Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Nadya Wang and Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka. To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit https://frontandoffcentre.com -
Nor Aslam bin Yusoff, The Community Coffee | S1E5 19.01.2026 56minToday’s guest is Nor Aslam Bin Yusoff, Founder of The Community. The Community is a coffee bar and roastery with three locations in Singapore. Aslam also initiated the Singapore Roaster Forum, a platform for exchange of knowledge among coffee professionals.In this episode, Aslam talks about creative messaging as a coffee producer, the interpersonal aspects of running a food and beverage business, as well as the values that underpin his pursuit of quality. Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Sai Pogaru, Rahasya Fragrances | S1E4 12.01.2026 50minToday’s guest is Sai Pogaru, Born in India, and raised in Singapore, Sai is one of three co-founders of Rahasya. Rahasya is a niche fine fragrance brand on a mission to put Indian-inspired niche fragrances on the map through a representation of India that is bold, vibrant and non-stereotypical.In this episode, Sai talks about working with his co-founders Sachit Sood and Utkarsh Vijayvargiya to build Rahasya, creating young, fresh and vibrant Indian representation in the world of perfumery, and connecting with their consumers through the stories of the perfumes they create. Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Gad Tan, Paper Rex | S1E3 06.01.2026 48minToday’s guest is Gad Tan, a multi-disciplinary designer with over two decades of experience in brand and visual communication. He is the Chief Creative Officer of Paper Rex, one of the world’s most successful esports teams and the first Southeast Asian First-Person Shooter team to win an international major. Based in Singapore, Gad oversees all creative output at Paper Rex, shaping its globally recognised branding while remaining, at heart, a lifelong gamer. In this episode, Gad talks about learning and having fun on the job, overlapping endeavours and sustaining an esports team. Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Director Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee, with production by Isaiah Cheng and visual design by Sharrona Valezka.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com -
Faezah Shaharuddin, Studio Kallang | S1E2 29.12.2025 31minToday’s guest is Faezah Shaharuddin, a multi-disciplinary designer and Founder of Studio Kallang, whose work explores cultural nuance, memory and craft, primarily through furniture and object design. Studio Kallang pieces have been shipped to clients worldwide via stockists such as SSENSE, 1stDibs and Adorno. Her work has most recently been exhibited at Milan Design Week 2025. In this episode, Faezah talks about the influence of growing up in a creative household in Singapore and then studying in Seattle, translating her identity into something tangible through design, and staying grounded in her practice.Up-Front is brought to you by Front & Off-Centre, a cultural agency offering communications, curatorial and programming services. It is co-hosted by Founder Nadya Wang and Curatorial Lead Ian Tee.To learn more about us, follow us on Instagram @frontandoffcentre and visit frontandoffcentre.com
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