What is your view on the world today?
Humans and cancer are very similar. They both voraciously consume everything around them until they destroy their host. In this case the world is our host, and we’re doing a good job of destroying that. No wonder we’re trying to get to Mars—they don’t even have a McDonalds there yet.

Is corruption rifer than ever?
Everybody has been corrupted in some way, and we ignore it as best we can. We’re so desensitized by advertising and the media that we don’t realize that our choices and belief systems have already been decided for us. From the type of burger you should eat this month to the methods in which you should recycle your garbage, it’s all been workshopped to increase product sales. We’re not communities any more—we’re “target markets”.  

What is art’s role today in making things better?
I think art forces you to look more deeply at things and ask questions. New, exciting and often profound discoveries continually occur in the pursuit of creative endeavors and this is something to be embraced.

What provokes you the most today?
I’m most provoked by the constant “prodding” of advertisers and corporations for me to pay attention to them and their ridiculous products. I wish everybody would just calm down and stop talking about Justin Bieber.

Is the world getting more and more homogenous, and what can we do about it?
The internet is probably the only way we can find alternatives from the conservative infrastructure that the government and corporations have now set up for us. It’s a scary world that we’re living in, and difficult to get the right platform to express your ideas without getting lost in the noise.

What does it take to be happy?
Simplify your environment and be honest with yourself.

The Perfect Drug is on through March 18.

How did it come about?
We've been admirers of Tanaami's works ever since we were back in college, so when we got approached by our Japanese agent to work on a collaborative project with him, we were very excited. When we finally met Tanaami-san, we were amazed at the level of creative and conceptual synergy between both parties. There were a lot of corresponding elements and themes running through our respective visual iconography and vision of the universe. We both explore the themes of life-cycles like youth, decay, life and death.

Why specifically Tanaami?
We respect his passion and dedication to his work and ideology. He is a grand master of his own art and universe. His artistic and energy level, creative vision and understanding of his craft and inner world is truly out of this world. 

What was the working process was like?
Tanaami-san is a very open and radical artist to work with. We had the pleasure to visit his studio in Tokyo, where we got inspired by looking at his sketches, manga collection, odd memorabilia and posters. We simply had tea with him and chatted about our views on Japan, Singapore, comics, anime, history, art, food and everything else in-between. It was truly a natural process. Our conversations had to be translated, but we believe nothing was lost in translation!  

Who are your magazines for?

Mangosteen Club caters to Japanese residents in Singapore while WAttention is an English magazine which promotes Japanese tourism. It covers Japanese culture and must-go-to-places in Japan as well as some establishments like restaurants or hair salons in Singapore where you can have experiences and services as if you were in Japan. We also organize events such as sake tastings, beauty talk shows, yoga sessions and cooking classes for our readers.

What do the local Japanese community regularly get up to here?

There are about 30,000 Japanese living here. The Japanese Association in Singapore is one of most active organizations operating out of Japan as it constantly organizes arts performances, concerts and seminars for both its members and public. Our readers are constantly on the lookout for new F&B outlets. And of course Meidi-ya and Kinokuniya Bookstore are their all-time favourite hangouts.

What are some your personal F&B recommendations then for our readers?

For restaurants, Hide Yamamoto, Sushi Ichi, Kumo, Chikuyotei, Niji and newly opened Ten are must-tries. Over at Lau Pa Sat, you will also be able to find down-to-earth Japanese dishes like udon or donburi at very affordable prices with fine quality. As most Japanese are obsessed with Japanese rice, an online shop called TawarayaGenbei is quite popular among Japanese residents here as it supplies a few good quality Japanese rice varieties directly flown in from Japan.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be in a rock band. Not as the lead singer, but the keyboardist. As it turned out, I couldn’t even play the piano properly because of a missing ligament in my right thumb. Maybe I’m genetically doomed to mediocrity.

I am inspired by Shakespeare, not only because of his poetry but because he wrote some of the great blockbusters of his time. Some of his characters were also incredibly foul-mouthed—something I deeply f**king empathize with.

The funniest thing I ever heard was a friend speaking Malay in a cockney accent. You’ve got to hear it to believe it.

The last time I was truly happy was the day before the MDA banned my film.

The ban was unfortunate and a little ridiculous. Maintaining social harmony is one thing, pandering to those with the thinnest skin and the lowest threshold for humor is another.

The film has since been passed R21 with edits, but that’s not a great outcome either. I think the MDA needs to trust its system of classification and implement it with conviction. Censorship is a ham-fisted tool in this day and age.

I collect stories, naturally. For most writers, no experience in life is wasted. An accident, a bad date, an embarrassing rash, joy, fear, humiliation—any emotion or quotidian incident may contain the seeds of good drama, comedy or both.

I relax by spending time with my son, who at the moment is going through the Terrible Twos, which any parent will tell you can be a very stressful time. So I guess there isn’t much relaxation in my life at the moment.

Breasts turn me on. On women, preferably.

Religious fundamentalism makes me sick in the stomach. Even plain religion without the fundamentalism makes me uneasy.

Between love or money, I live for food, mostly. But seriously, the choice between the two is a spurious one. I don’t think a person can be very happy if he’s shit poor. More to the point: do you know how much a ticket to an IMAX movie costs, even on a weekday?

The last time I committed a crime or a sin was this morning. Personally, I’m more into crime than sin. There are more crimes than sins that a person can be arrested for. Also, speaking as a filmmaker, I think “crime thriller” might be an easier sell than “sin thriller”.

I’m an atheist and a humanist. I also like red wine, and thinking of wine as blood, as the Christians do, is disconcerting to me. Having said that, drinking too much wine—just plain red wine—can also make me sick to the stomach.

What’s the meaning of life? You ask the big questions at I-S Magazine, don’t you? Seriously, man. I’m a filmmaker. You want an answer to that question, go talk to the Dalai Lama.