Halfway across the globe, Singapore is probably largely known for landmarks like the Merlion and Marina Bay Sands. And according to printmaker and artist John Mathis, better known as Tatsu Maker, the probability of encountering a Singaporean in the quieter parts of America is probably close to zero. Reason being that “there's just not enough Singaporeans to go around,” he says jokingly. This is one of the reasons that fuel John’s artistic practice to focus his art on showcasing the true essence of Singapore – our food culture. His aim is to ensure that every visitor to our small, sunny island can take a slice of it back home and share their experience with others. “I'm a printmaker,” John says, “and through my art, I try to tell the stories of Singapore.”
John Mathis is an American printmaker that moved to Singapore 15 years ago. He specialises in linocut printing – an interesting printmaking technique first used in the mid-1800s. To create a print, a design is first carved into the surface of a block of linoleum, and ink is then applied to the raised areas of the block and transferred onto paper or another material by pressing it against the block.
The beginning of his artistic practice was a simple one – six years ago, on a seemingly ordinary day, he gathered a few knives, inks, and plates, and started experimenting with printmaking himself. Now, he's crafting some of the most intricate linocut prints you'll ever lay your eyes on. And for those curious about the origin of his artist alias, ‘Tatsu Maker,’ it's a homage to his beloved dog, Tatsu.
However, this creative endeavour actually initially started out as something between him and his daughter, Isabel. “Her mother passed away several years ago when she was young and this became some kind of art therapy we worked out between us,” he shares.
“She would tell me a story about what she was thinking and feeling and I would illustrate them through different art forms such as collage and watercolour. Through this, I stumbled upon the medium of printmaking and I thought to myself, I could do that. So I started doing prints of her stories. Eventually, she wanted to take a break, which meant I had to look for another subject matter to illustrate,” he says.
You learn a lot about the culture of a place by the food they eat, the ingredients used and cooking methods. Through these, you can see what sets one country apart from another.
When searching for a new centre of focus for his art, artist John gravitated towards food because of his background of having worked in the food industry for several years. “I love food. I used to work in the food industry. You learn a lot about the culture of a place by the food they eat, the ingredients used and cooking methods. Through these, you can see what sets one country apart from another. I think it's such a key part of the culture here in Singapore, so I started working on hawker stores, street vendors and standalone places. I want to celebrate that part of the cultural story here,” he says.
I want to try to tell a story and that's going to have to include people.
But John’s prints are beyond straightforward illustrations of our local cuisines. Each frame of art tells a story. “If you take a look at my prints. I try not to duplicate food and hawker centres as is. From a composition point of view, I want to try to tell a story and that's going to have to include people. So there are people engaging in all of my prints – with each other and as part of the shop. I think the people are a very key part of keeping that aspect of the culture alive and growing,” he explains.
Till date, he has created prints of famous food spots such as Chin Mee Chin Confectionery, 328 Katong Laksa, Ponggol Nasi Lemak, Choice Cuts, Boon Tong Kee, and even of the famous Orchard Road ice cream uncle, Uncle Chieng.
And that's what I want to be able to do – to help tourists to be able to bring back that awesome kaya toast they had, or a kopi place they had a great memory at.
John also puts himself into the shoes of tourists when making his art, and this comes easy with his experience as both a tourist in Singapore and a local resident. “As a tourist, sure you can find your ‘I heart SG’ t-shirts to bring home, but that’s not enough to tell the true Singapore story. Living in America, you’re most likely never gonna meet a Singaporean, there's just not enough Singaporeans to go around. And so what you know about Singapore is through the media: it's clean, it’s modern, it's the future. But the truth is, you can't spend a week here and not get pulled into the hawker centres and local cuisines like laksa and roti prata! You can’t find these things overseas. So I think food is the main memorable takeaway for tourists. And that's what I want to be able to do – to help tourists to be able to bring back that awesome kaya toast they had, or a kopi place they had a great memory at,” he exclaims.
Of course, it’s not been an easy journey thus far. As with other artists in Singapore, it can be quite a challenge to get your work out there. “Singapore has grown into an independent financial powerhouse but the arts have not been a high priority. So trying to get awareness of my work, and trying to say art has value in general has been a challenge. But with that said, I think it's getting better,” he says.
To me, art is telling a human story of how we engage with each other, how we interact as a society and how we stand apart.
At the end of the talk, when asked what the meaning of art is to him, he answers, “I often ask myself when looking at my prints: Is this telling a story, or is it just a picture? Because art is not just about reproducing a scene, but rather, what can I pull from it? To me, art is telling a human story of how we engage with each other, how we interact as a society and how we stand apart.”
Check out John's amazing works here.
John's responses have been edited for conciseness and flow.
