SAND T: I was born in Malacca, the oldest city in Malaysia. This 600-year-old city is a culturally rich, diverse, close knit urban city where the Malays, Chinese, Indians and Europeans reside. All the daily conveniences were within reach. Schools were just around the corner, movie theaters, frame shops, photo studios, fashion boutiques, furniture stores, coffee shops, grocery stores, open-market, night market, book stores, restaurants, churches, mosques, Buddhist temples were all within walking distance.
I moved to Kuala Lumpur for the advancement of my art and design career, and most importantly, to further study art. (Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia.) I graduated from the Malaysian Institute of Art in 1987, and worked as a Window Dresser for department stores and hotels for many years.
In 1990, I was hired as the Visual Merchandising Director for Isetan of Japan department store where I was in charge of running Isetan of Japan Gallery that was housed inside the store.
After two years of working for Isetan of Japan, I started my art and design consulting company aimed to make enough money to further my academic studies in the States.
While I was looking for a University to enroll in, I received catalogs from Universities in the U.S. including the Boston Museum School. I chose Tufts University affiliated with the Museum School.
I moved to the States in 1992. I lived in a couple neighborhoods in the Boston area including the South End, Back Bay, Cambridge, Allston, and Somerville.
After graduating from Tufts University and the Museum School with an MFA in 1997, I moved to Fort Point Channel in South Boston where I established my first gallery called S.T Gallery in 1998.
I moved to Malden in April 2000.
