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With a 40-year history, LASALLE College of the Arts, founded in 1984 by Brother Joseph McNally, continues to be a leader in arts and creative education in Singapore.
Recognised as the highest-ranked specialist arts institution in Southeast Asia for performing arts and joint top for art and design by the QS World University Rankings by Subject in 2024, LASALLE offers 35 art and design programmes, from diploma to postgraduate.
Its supportive and disciplined environment nurtures the next generation of creatives through a world-class faculty.
How did the values fostered by LASALLE produce award-winning creatives like the pottery artist Ahmad Abu Bakar, drum teacher Riduan Zalani, electronic artist Adi Yadoni, and many more from various genres?
Raising an artist with the ‘X’ factor
Muhammad Al-Hafiz Hosni is a versatile artist who combines traditional and contemporary dance, while also breathing new life into the world of theatre and the arts.
With a bold soul and a loud voice, Muhammad Al-Hafiz Hosni challenges artistic norms with character.
The friendly and confident man has a unique style that sets him apart from his peers from other art institutions.
"LASALLE values – courage, agility, excellence, collaboration and also engagement. We are encouraged to speak out and I think that is what makes me a little different," explained Hafiz who graduated with a BA (Hons) Musical Theatre from LASALLE College of the Arts in 2021.
Like Hafiz, Mohammed Zulkarnaen Othman (Zul), better known by his stage name, 'Zero', has also coloured the art world with his own uniqueness.
The urban artist has long carved a name for himself in street art.
Zul, a 2008 BA (Hons) Fine Arts graduate, recalls his experience at LASALLE as a transformative moment in his career.
He is now making a big impact on the new generation as a fine arts lecturer at the College.
"It opened my mind a lot and built up my knowledge of other fine art disciplines such as contemporary art, ceramics and I get to share my experience as a young artist with my lecturers as well. And this is a lesson that goes beyond one way."
Zul is the only graffiti artist to have won the National Arts Council (NAC) Young Artist Award in 2013.
"One of the works I would like to dedicate to LASALLE is Dekat di Mata, Jauh di Hati. A mural in Joo Chiat that I painted in 2022 for ARTWALK, as a commentary on knowing and understanding the passage of time," he said.
Like Zul, Hafiz has also developed his art in various fields.
He is also involved in many art collectives to provide opportunities for young artists.
"The lesson I still hold: 'There are no small characters, only small actors'. That is, because many young actors want to play the main character because they want to feel important."
For Hafiz, art education is more than just teaching.
It is a way to change perceptions and empower the new generation.
"I was able to become a more empathetic person. LASALLE's motto 'Has It' also shaped me to be that 'extra'. It means being 'louder', more friendly and braver to speak up. And I think that is what makes me a little different from my art friends from other schools," Hafiz told reporter Roslinda Rahmat.
Enliven pure values, shape a cultural artist
Hafiz continues to diversify his talents by venturing into traditional dance and promoting ‘bangsawan’ art.
His name once went viral when he performed an authentic Malay dance complete with baju kurung in the middle of Times Square, New York.
"One of the ways I give back is by watching the performances of my classmates at my school because from there I can see young artists who I want to collaborate with and also try to open up a space or build opportunities for collaboration," he shared.
In addition, Hafiz is proud to carry the name of his alma mater whenever he has the opportunity to perform professionally.
"Whenever I have the opportunity to perform professionally outside, I will always say that I am a LASALLE alumnus because I am proud," he added.
Not only that, both Hafiz and Zul have also built platforms to help other artists succeed through the collectives they founded.
Zul, for example, founded RSCLS, a movement that advances urban art in Singapore, followed by SOLIDARITY 21 seven years later. The collective connects street artists from 21 countries through symposiums and the sharing of experiences.
"I want to bring art into the public space. It is important for me to share my experiences as an artist for 22 years because I have learned a lot from my own experiences, in terms of economics, career management, interactions with other artists, curators and the public. The people I meet while painting on the streets often do not visit galleries or museums," Zul explains.
In 2023, Zul painted a mural on a building in Dotonbori, Osaka in collaboration with artists from India, Vietnam, Malaysia and Japan.
"The prospects for street art are now even greater because all over the world we can see street art festivals in Europe, South America, America and also in the Asian region. All this is proof that street art will develop even more in a few years. Even in the city of Singapore we can now see murals all over the neighbourhood estates. My work can also be seen in Jurong, in Telok Blangah and all over Singapore," he shares.
In 2024, his work was included in the Ministry of Education (MOE) art syllabus, giving him the opportunity to share his knowledge in colleges, secondary schools and primary schools.
"In August 2025, I will be in Tokyo to exhibit my work, curating a sub-culture festival in Osaka. Most of the art is from Western narratives and I want to champion narratives from this region. And in January, my collective, RCLS will curate the Aliwal Urban Arts Festival, a street art festival. I am keen to collaborate with friends and young artists as well because this will provide better opportunities and it will develop street art, not only in Singapore, but also for the region as well," revealed Zul.
Hafiz is also actively building spaces for the arts through two collectives he established with fellow artists.
"We want to help find places to practice, share experiences, lessons and also places for us to earn money from teaching or performing.
"For the Malay dance world, the collective is called the Independent Malay Dancers Collective SG. For musical theatre, it is called 'Theatrazz', short for Theatre Jazz; where we want to help strengthen the 'face' of dance in musical theatre, because I think musical theatre in Singapore is more about singing and acting skills. I would like to see more musicals in Singapore that highlight more challenging dances," shared Hafiz.
LASALLE's 40th anniversary celebration continues to inspire, culminating in April 2025.
Along with the celebration, the College will celebrate 20 years of the BA (Hons) Musical Theatre programme, which has produced artists such as Muhammad Al-Hafiz Hosni.
