5 Creatives To Know From The Gen.T List 2020

From an acclaimed conductor to an inspiring photographer, these are the rising stars of Asia's arts industry you should know from the Gen.T List 2020

We have just finished revealing the 400 Leaders of Tomorrow on the Gen.T List 2020 at a series of virtual and physical launch events across the region. Here, we introduce five outstanding creatives from the list who are shaking up the global cultural scene with their diverse talent and hard work.

1. Wilson Ng

Founder and chief conductor, Gustav Mahler Orchestra

Hong Kong musician Wilson Ng is one of the fastest rising talents in the conducting world. He is passionate about creating positive social impact, which is why he founded his Gustav Mahler Orchestra in 2014 to make classical music accessible, aiming to support and nurture young talents.

His personal charisma and leadership skills led him to make history in 2019 by becoming the first Chinese associate conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, after receiving major prizes at the Frankfurt Sir Georg Solti International Conductors’ Competition 2017 and the Paris Svetlanov International Conducting Competition 2018.

2. Arthur De Villepin

Founder and CEO, Art de Vivre and co-founder and chairman, Villepin

The son of former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin, Arthur de Villepin is the founder and CEO of Art de Vivre Group and the CEO of cross-border consulting firm Villepin International. Like many young buyers, Arthur grew up in an art world—with his father, an avid art collector, and mother, an acclaimed sculptor, constantly introducing him to many leading artists such as Zao Wou-Ki, Anselm Kiefer and Pierre Soulages.

The experience led Arthur to foster a passion for art from a very young age and eventually develop an ambition to set up a new model of collecting, based on close friendships with artists. To him, art collecting isn’t about making investments; it's building authentic connections between buyer and artist, which is his mission at newly opened fine art gallery Villepin in Hong Kong.

3. Nadirah Zakariya

Visual artist

Malaysian photographer Nadirah Zakariya came into the public eye by producing a series of self-portraits that revolves around vitiligo—a skin condition which causes the loss of skin colour in blotches—something that she had been hiding for years. Her striking images advocate skin positivity in the global community and serve as a reminder that loving yourself is the single best thing you can do.

Zakariya also shares her insights on photography, hosting regular masterclasses to nurture young photography talents. Her work has been featured in Vice, Vogue Italia and The New York Times.

4. Stanley Chen

Science-fiction writer

As a former employee of tech giants Google and Baidu, Stanely Chen knows a thing or two about the awesome power of artificial intelligence (AI). Driven by his desire to produce modern, thought-provoking works of literature, Chen uses AI to produce stories that address topics ranging from pollution to patriarchy. Chen has been lauded for his distinct writing style and ability to depict the evolving relationship between humans and technology, becoming one of China’s best-known science-fiction writers in the process.

5. Pooja Nansi

Festival director, Singapore Writers Festival

Pooja Nansi is a poet, educator and musician who believes in the power that speech and performance can lend to the written word. She started out by curating a monthly spoken word and poetry event, Speakeasy, in 2013, a project dedicated to shedding light on rising and established talents from places as diverse as Burma and Botswana.

Nansi is also recognised for her endeavours to promote voices from minority communities in her home of Singapore, co-organising and producing Other Tongues, a special programme in 2018 that invited young people across minor language groups to participate in a series of inspiring literary events. In 2019, she was appointed as the first female festival director of the Singapore Writers Festival.

See more honourees in The Arts category of the Gen.T List 2020.

Topics

music arts artists art collectors photographers conductors writers entrepreneurs

Tatler Asia