Noah Tan welcomes you to his incredible, colorful world.
As a full-time visual artist, he is no stranger to the power of a paint brush. Noah’s creative talents have bloomed a successful art career. His commissions range from Bank of Singapore to Uniqlo. He’s also adapted his work into eye catching public installations such as fixtures at the Singapore Science Park, an elaborate ping pong table for Bloomberg, and even the Tampines MRT station for SBS Transit.
But visual arts are more than just a career for Noah. They are a critical form of communication.
At the age of two, Noah was diagnosed with Autism, which has affected his social and communication skills. For individuals with Autism, it can be very challenging to connect with people and the world around them. This was a struggle early in Noah’s life until an art teacher recognized his talent for drawing, which led to Noah enrolling in ART:DIS Singapore, an organization for persons with disabilities to develop their artistic talents.
Artwork became a critical form of expression for Noah, translating his feelings and ideas in a non-verbal way. This connected his inner world with others, opening a unique window for people to understand him and see his gifts. On a personal level this was amazing, but the next challenge would be how Noah pursued his passion as a career.
In addition to his artistic endeavors, Noah has been a bowler with Special Olympics Singapore for 12 years. This has been a wonderful community and athletic outlet for Noah, but there is a fascinating crossover between sports and art. All the Special Olympics trainings and competitions have instilled in him discipline and perseverance. These are vital to an artist in both creative process and meeting deadlines from clients. Bowling has also helped improve Noah’s focus, concentration and coordination. These have proved essential as Noah elevates his craft and creates more intricate, larger and complex art pieces.
These creative talents and commitment to the craft have led to Noah’s work being showcased all over Singapore, and even internationally at the Tokyo Creative Salon. He even lent his talents at the first ever Special Olympics Athlete Design Co_Lab that took place in the United States. Here athletes collaborated to design t-shirts that will be sold in the Special Olympics merch store.
Noah’s style is distinct, colorful and eye-catching. Reflecting on his art reveals a curious understanding of who he is as a person, his paintings say much more than words ever can. Noah explains his intentions, “I wish to welcome everyone into my colorful world and see my ability, not my disability.”
See more of Noah’s work!
