Say something about yourself?

My name is AikBeng Chia also known as ABC in the Photography Community. I’m a designer/illustrator/photographer base in Singapore.

What is this series?

The Hawaii Cabaret & Nite Club in Singapore’s Textile Centre is one of the city’s most iconic nightclubs. It is also the oldest.

 

How/When did you start this series?
 

The Night We Never Met is a collaborative project between myself and filmmaker Nicky Loh. The title is a reference to how Nicky and myself, both didn’t know about each other documenting the nightclub until we bumped into each other. During our conversations, we discovered, Both of us are documenting the night club but our path didn’t crossed. So we both decided to collaborate and share what we documented.

Thus the title The Night We Never Met came about.

I first discovered the night club 10 years ago. Back then I wasn’t into Photography.
 

3 years ago I went back and started documenting the night club. Last year when the owner told me he’s going to renovate the night club. I started actively documenting the interiors and the patrons before the renovation starts. Almost every night I will be there, observing and documenting it.

What grab my attention was the colours and the nostalgic feel of the place. Not to mention the patrons that goes there. You have all kinds of people there, from retirees, gangsters, bookies, loan sharks, aunties, uncles etc.

 

What message do you want to tell the audience?

Guess this sums up what I wanted to share. We’re all waiting for someone. Every night seems to be the night we never met. With words unspoken, life stays undisturbed inside this paradise for the patrons and singers of Club Hawaii. Singapore’s oldest nightclub. a place that is a living testament of the 70s and a haven for seniors seeking companionship with the pleasure of song and dance for the past three decades.

Any news or updates?
 

Recently, an exhibition with Fengli at DECK Singapore which just ended. The title of the exhibition is called Singapore Express. I’m working on an online Zines,collaborating with fellow likeminded photographers across the globe to produce and share on Instagram. Life? I don’t give a Fuck, just go with the flow and the journey regardless it’s good or bad. Continues to do my shit. Lol!