It’s hard being young. It’s even harder to tell people that it’s hard to be young. For 24-year-old Matin, that feeling is most authentically captured. The subjects of Matin’s work are captured in a state of stasis. Intimacy is usually found in a domestic setting, but with Matin, the focus shifts to a more unorthodox portrayal of youth; one laced with aloofness, by surrender instead of struggle.
But that doesn’t necessitate that we are the generation of immobility, as matter of fact, the opposite holds truth. The matter of the fact is, Disaster is endlessly sensationalised, while optimism, nuance, and hope are pushed out of frame. For the most honest telling of the kids of our age, we have to look to our cultural documentarians. Read our full interview with Matin, the third creative that we spotlight for the November 2025 issue, down below, where he discusses his work, and what he feels about the culture in Singapore.
Name, Age, and Occupation?
Matin, 24, Design Communications student at LASALLE.
What’s your current equipment?
The equipment I’m running on is a Pentax 17 camera. I’ve been on a strict discipline with film formats for about a year.
Describe the essence of your work.
My work focuses on capturing youth and street culture, the rawness of moments, and the emotions of my surroundings. The meaning behind this photograph explores resilience and acceptance, suggesting surrender rather than resistance. I believe that sometimes, enduring impact is part of the growth of understanding.
Selected Works (2024-2025)
I chose photography because I was always fascinated by how a camera worked when I was young. I joined a photography workshop at 15 and have loved the craft ever since. Over the years, I’ve explored different mediums and styles, eventually discovering that my true passion lies in street photography.
Selected Works (2024-2025)
In recent years, I have developed an interest in bookmaking and have been practising and creating with the tools I have at school and at home. I made my first hand-stitched photo zine, which I sold at the Singapore Art Book Fair 2024. The zine, titled ‘Endearment’, is a curated collection of photographs spanning from when I first started shooting film to now, capturing love and tenderness in their purest form through my own eyes. I have plans to make another zine to release sometime next year. My love for film has always been a fascinating journey, from finding out about it through friends, to buying my first camera, to developing my first roll.
Selected Works (2024-2025)
What does youth mean to you, and in the context of living here in Singapore?
It means being restricted. We (as young people living in Singapore) were taught to abide by a system in which everything seems to be laid out for us. Our ideas, creativity and creations are boundless, yet they are constrained by the limits on our freedom of expression.
Selected Works (2024-2025)
What’s one word to describe our generation?
Sustainable. We make do with what we have and we make the best out of it. I believe that it is still possible to cultivate a community in Singapore through being associated. Friendships extend in communities.
Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our November 2025 issue.