Pop-mania has gripped Singapore. 'A is for Andy' at 72-13 last November had crowds queuing around the block; meanwhile, two Singaporean collectors opened a gallery, Collectors Contemporary, to show off their impressive stash of Warhols and Lichtensteins. (Their first exhibition, POP!, opened on 27 December.) 

Yet ten years ago, most Singaporeans had never even heard of pop art. Justin Lee helped to change that. His witty, thoughtful work blends traditional Eastern imagery and techniques with twenty-first-century consumerism and Western icons. His impact on the local arts scene is why we've chosen him as the first artist profiled in Time Out Singapore's Art section that'll highlight movers and shakers in the arts circuit.

Lee had his first solo show in 2003, at the age of 40. Now, four years on, he’s held numerous exhibitions, represented Singapore at the Venice Biennale and been commissioned by commercial clients, the Esplanade and the Singapore Art Museum among them. His works currently adorn the entrance hall of SAM and will be at Forth Gallery in a group exhibition next month.

What inspires you? 
My life experiences become my work. I am inspired by my environment, the people I meet and the desire to also create beautiful and aesthetically pleasing work.

What five words describe your work?
Humour, naughty, pop, East-meets-West, playful. 

Who’s your favourite artist? 
Dead? René Magritte, the Belgian surrealist. Alive? Tan Pin Pin and Tang Dang Wu, Singaporean multimedia and performance artists.

What does art mean to you? 
Art is like a voice – it is my way of communicating to the wider world. Art is like a poster or billboard, conveying a message.

Do you mind explaining your art? 
I don’t have a problem explaining the message in my work. If someone hasn’t shared the same experiences as me, they may not understand it. Often my collectors share the same thoughts, experiences or memories that I have, and they will recognise it in my work. 

What do you hope to do with your work and life in the future? 
I prefer not to plan things. I develop organically. For example, I’m going to Beijing next week to see some galleries. The obvious next step is to hold a solo exhibition there and that would be great. Singapore is a small market and I would like my work to be seen in other countries. I would [also] like to do more performance art. I was involved in the performance art festival, Fetterfield [in Singapore] last year. Performance art is addictive, you get an immediate response from the audience and it leads to the unexpected. The interaction and reaction from the audience is inspiring. 

Would you describe yourself as a pop artist? 
Yes, although it was a label given to me by someone else. Labels are disturbing, in a way – they describe something that happened in the past. My work is about now, so it feels slightly strange to give it a label from the past. When someone suggested to me that I was a pop artist, I started looking at the pop art of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. The more I learned, the more I could identify my work with theirs. However, it was not something I set out to be. 

Are you a fan of Andy Warhol? 
Yes. I can identify with Andy Warhol. There are parallels. We had a graphic design background, worked as commercial artists and trained as screen printers before we produced our own artworks. 

Warhol said: ‘Why do people think artists are special? It’s just another job?’ Do you agree with this? 
I agree. The difference between artists and people with other jobs is that we are more observant. People often neglect to look around and consider their environment. The artist’s job is to give people the opportunity to stop and think about their surroundings. In the end, we are all the same. We all make money.

What do you think of the Andy-mania that hit Singapore recently? 
I am not surprised that the 'A is for Andy' show was such a success. Andy Warhol is famous and was famous during his lifetime. He was a smart guy. Ten years ago, pop art didn’t really appeal to Singaporeans. Now, the younger generation see that art can take many forms. I hope I have inspired some people along the way. 

How has the contemporary art scene changed in Singapore since you graduated? 
Students are focusing on multimedia work. I see multimedia as a trend and wonder how far it can be developed. My concern is that they don’t have the foundation skills, such as painting and drawing, which they can fall back on and develop whatever future trends may be. The art scene has greater government support, through subsidised studio rental and other projects. More art is out there, on show. We are getting closer to our dreams.

What more could be done to help young artists here? 
Those with the power to help young artists need to reach out and support them. Generally a few artists are overexposed, whilst the rest have no exposure. This reminds me of an experience I had in Paris at the Pompidou Centre. I had been looking at all of the dead French masters. However, my favourite image was something I saw on a wall outside the Pompidou: a small, spray-painted image of a man holding an axe. Beneath the image it said, ‘Kill the Young’. This summed up the problem for me. If all of the art spaces only show dead artists, it kills the younger generation, as they have no room to breathe.  

For more on Lee, go to www.justinleeck.com.