Rapper-turned-art lover's 'kedai art' shut due to pandemic, but show must go on

Nick Siau (left), better known as Nemo, and contemporary artist Ajim Juxta at the Titikmerah x Papu pop-up store in Publika, Kuala Lumpur in March this year. The store has shut after its lease ran out during the recent lockdown. Photo: The Star/Glenn Guan

If you are looking for a warm fuzzy story about how he fell in love with art because of an inspiring teacher when he was a kid, or finger painting sessions with his parents on rainy Saturday mornings, look elsewhere.

Nick Siau, better known as Nemo in the music scene, really only noticed art a few years ago, when he was in his early 20s. It started with the rapper setting out to look for artwork to go with his debut album and stumbling upon contemporary artist Ajim Juxta’s works online, liking what he saw and then meeting him at an art bazaar where he “almost bought his whole sketchbook”.