Her time as a student marked the beginning of her interest in conceptual and socially engaged art. She later co-founded Singapore’s first all-women art collective, which became a crucial platform for integrating the arts into public life and engaging directly with society. This was particularly significant during a period of rapid modernisation in Singapore, an awareness that grew alongside the early successes of her artistic career.

Chapter 2: Fifth Passage

This art collective was brought to the public eye in 1991, where Victor’s efforts, along with fellow female artists Susie Lingham, Catherine Tan, and Han Ling, to ‘bringing art to the public’ finally manifested itself in the form of the 5th Passage, where they aspired to develop art in, with, and for society. Situated in the then-modern hub of social gathering: the urban shopping mall, specifically Parkway Parade, Victor foresaw the possibilities of a unique artist-led space that could nurture and develop alternative practices that prioritised experimentation and direct exposure and interaction with the masses, something that has become increasingly controlled by government bodies in Singapore’s contemporary landscape; as many art initiatives are increasingly mediated by institutional or government frameworks in Singapore’s contemporary landscape. The emphasis on bringing art to the public was an initiative that strived to break boundaries between the mundane and extraordinary. Such coexistence of art and life provided a space for the public to transform their perceptions and experiences toward their own lives. 

Victor had a vision to transform the fifth-floor passageway of Parkway Parade’s Office Tower Block into that of a contemporary gallery and performance space. It represented a hope; a passage to a future of the arts, to de-mystify the arts to the masses. A vibrant platform for multidisciplinary artists to embrace their voice and courage in creativity in a living breathing space of newness is created. This allowed the public to thrive and immerse themselves with the notion of expression.

The art collective saw successes between the years 1991 and 1994, arranging multiple art projects that involved the participation of the public. By 1993, the 5th Passage had even found support in the form of government grants to realise larger scaled projects, a relatively new initiative by the then-newly established National Arts Council (NAC), founded in October 1991. The collective’s success as an independent and non-profit experimental collective attracted fellow artists and non-artists alike, who volunteered to support the collective. Names such as Noor Effendy, Daniel Wong, Henry Tang, Lee Wee Yan, and Iris Tan would be seen within the collective’s efforts, eventually inviting high-profile names from the NAC and National University of Singapore (NUS) to serve as founding advisors. Indeed, an impressive feat for such a young initiative at the time. As young artists, we ponder on the arts that we live with in Singapore today, and Fifth Passage is nothing quite alike as more contemporary art spaces continue to be sectioned away from public spaces as controlled by government bodies. 

Such diversity and freedom in a Singapore that came before us despite a more conservative time seems so foreign and surreal in today’s landscape. Powerful voices from young contemporary artists that resonate with the audience, reflecting their response and navigation in a modernising society. Parkway Parade represented promise, a newness, a revolution.