SINGAPORE – Seventeen-year-old student J’den Teo is back with his fifth charity art exhibition. Titled “Small Act. Big Difference”, it will feature 10 other artists under the age of 20, the youngest being 12-year-old Nicole Wan.
Winner of the 2022 UOB Painting of the Year Andrew Huang, 19, is also taking part in the art exhibition, which launched on Friday at Ion Art Gallery and also includes four established artists, Dr Tan Ik Koon, Jacky Mak, Jays Phua and Jeff Sia.
A total of 41 paintings are on sale until June 25, with all proceeds going to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF). Buyers can also purchase non-fungible token versions of 10 artworks and can opt to pay in cryptocurrency.
More than 100 youth volunteers helped facilitate and put the exhibition together.
J’den found inspiration when he went on a trip to Cambodia when he was six. Coming face to face with the realities of extreme poverty, he knew that he wanted to do his part to provide a platform for youth to do good.
He founded Tad Charity in 2017, a non-profit organisation dedicated to raising funds for the less fortunate – even if it was just in small ways, or a tad at a time. He was awarded the Presidential Volunteerism and Philanthropy Award in 2021.
His first charity art exhibition in 2017 helped to raise about $100,000 for STSPMF. He hopes to raise over $100,000 with this fifth exhibition, through the sale of the art and copies of art books.
STSPMF was started in 2000 to provide pocket money to children from low-income families, to help ease the burden of schooling expenses.
J’den produced various art pieces for the exhibit, including two paintings of an ox. One, titled Forging Ahead, symbolises courage in the face of fear, while Overcome depicts overcoming one’s fears.
He said he hopes that his interest in art can help inspire other youth to similarly use their skills to do good and help the less fortunate.
This content was originally published here.