How did this young NTU alumnus go from painting murals for his final school project to drawing for the likes of Hugo Boss, Levi’s and Asics in just three years?
by Foo Jie Ying
Making his mark in the heart of Orchard Road at 313@Somerset.
As a child, Toby Tan would walk past temples and be intrigued by the intricately carved stone lions that sit outside.
That is the kind of authentic reaction that the NTU alumnus hopes his work as an urban visual artist can elicit in people.
“Seeing their instinctive reaction to my art, whether it’s them taking an OOTD (outfit of the day) with my mural or sharing a pair of shoes I’ve designed on social media, is a big part of why I enjoy what I do,” says Toby, who studied visual communication at the School of Art, Design & Media (ADM).
Under the moniker “tobyato”, Toby has made a splash in Singapore’s art scene in the past three years as an emerging visual artist synonymous with street culture. He counts brands like Hugo Boss, Levi’s, Asics and G-Shock among his clients.
Photo: Yusri Yusoff
A Hugo Boss laptop sleeve with Toby’s design stencilled on it.
Photo: Marina Bay Sands
Toby’s stone lions at blockbuster sneaker exhibition Sneakertopia from the US.
His latest work is a pair of stone lion sculptures that come with sneaker details – think shoelaces and shoe tongues – designed for the Asia debut of the American blockbuster sneaker exhibition, Sneakertopia: Step Into Street Culture, at ArtScience Museum.
A sizeable portion of his work involves murals too. In fact, Toby first drew attention for his mammoth effort of repainting basketball courts with motifs that cast light on the history and culture of each neighbourhood.
It started out as a concept for his final-year project (FYP) at NTU, but the fine arts graduate wanted to push the envelope.
“I’ve always had this tendency to want to do more. I don’t like to stagnate. I went from drawing on notebooks to drawing on computers, which then led me to murals,” says the 28-year-old of his foray into mural art.
He adds that Assoc Prof Jesvin Yeo, his FYP supervisor, encouraged him to take his FYP further. “She made a huge impact on me creatively. She was honest with her feedback in the best ways and taught me how to focus on my strengths and sometimes let go of my weaknesses,” he says.
A DOODLING START
Toby’s first few canvases as a child were his school worksheets and homework. He would doodle on them so much that teachers recognised his work not from his name, but from the drawings that covered the pages.
The doodling persisted as he continued his studies as a science student. It took a six-month stint as a part-time art teacher before he took the leap of faith and enrolled in ADM.
“Within the first few days of university, it became quite apparent that I had a lot to catch up on,” says Toby, who did not know how to use the Adobe suite of designing tools. Having a later start than his peers pushed him to work harder to make up for lost time by taking up freelance projects to hone his skills.
Early canvases.
That was how Toby landed his first mural gig in 2017. He had approached a now-defunct café at Beach Road with his idea for a mural, requesting for only the cost of the paints to be shared. The café gamely took up his offer.
Since then, Toby has gone on to enliven other spaces with his murals, from restaurants and offices to communal spaces and shophouses.
“The process of mural painting was mostly trial and error, with a bit of help from some friends in the industry who had mural painting experience,” he says.
His largest – and favourite – mural project to date stretches across the wall of a two-storey shophouse at Tanjong Pagar, which used to be a fishing village. The mural shows two swordfish swimming in a pool of abstract waves – a homage to a Singapore Malay tale of the battle between local villagers and swordfish.
“Just translating the design from digital to wall took three weeks. But the difficulty of the project made me push myself to make it work,” he says. “Looking back, it is my favourite work.”
MURALIST TURNED FASHION COLLABORATOR
While the attention from his final-year project may have paved the way for exciting collaborations with big brands like Adidas and Shake Shack, Toby says his growth as a versatile urban visual artist was a much more gradual process.
“People often think there’s a big break in my creative career, but it’s more of a steady climb. I tried to understand what the industry is looking for and react to it. For instance, if something I have done is received well and I see there’s potential to grow in this area, I double down on my efforts,” he says.
Photo: enVisuals
Toby’s collaboration with Casio G-Shock for National Day.
Today, his Asian-inspired motifs cover the wildest of canvases, from watches to skateboards and sneakers. Sneaker collaborations with artists are “really rare” in our region, says Toby, a self-professed sneakerhead.
He also holds regular stencil parties with Uniqlo, where he gets to interact with members of the public while stencilling their tees or tote bags.
This versatility stems from his time in ADM, where conceptual thinking is emphasised. “This skillset is very translatable and essential regardless of the medium of the project. Whether it’s a basketball court mural or shoe design, at the core of the creative process is a strong concept,” he says.
That brands today are increasingly collaborating with local artists paints a picture of hope for those who are thinking of pursuing art as a career.
Citing his sneaker collaboration with Asics as an example, he says: “It’s really nice when people appreciate the things you design enough to buy them. It represents a shift in local art. That gives me reason to keep going as an artist.”
Toby was recently selected to mentor young creatives as an “industry OG” through a programme run by Regal F.C., a club under renowned whisky brand Chivas Regal.
“I am still very much that kid who likes to draw, but now I get a chance to draw many things for many people, and to grow with other artists. That is something I am grateful for,” he says.
This story was published in the Mar-Apr 2023 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
