Dominic Khoo

Dominic Khoo
Dominic Khoo
Born	(1978-02-28) February 28, 1978 Singapore
Nationality	Singaporean
Occupation	Watch expert, art collector and retired photographer
Known for	Photographs of models, celebrities and several luxury brands

Dominic Khoo (born 28 February 1978) is a watch specialist, art collector and retired photographer. He is noted for his photographs of models, celebrities and luxury brands.^[1][2]

Early life

Born and raised in Singapore, Khoo went to Henry Park Primary School where he held the title of "Head Prefect". He continued his education at Victoria School and Monk's Hill Secondary School. In 2003, he graduated with a double major in Sales and Marketing at the Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia.^[3]

Career

Watches

After Khoo graduated from Curtin University in Australia, his parents offered him the choice between a car and a watch for his graduation present. Choosing the watch, the 26-year-old enthusiast attended numerous watch seminars and events. "It wasn't long before watch companies offered me jobs; I took on one but left after six months to become a freelance watch journalist," he said.^[3] Khoo worked in brand management for the world's biggest Girard-Perregaux distributor, and later wrote as a watch journalist for many of the world's top watch magazines, including the first issue of Revolution.^[4] During this period he had contributing editor, editorial director, editor-in-chief roles and also a stake in a publication. His third job was a watch expert at the auction house Antiquorum, working with watch experts Osvaldo Patrizzi and Etienne Lemanager.^[5] He spent training sessions in Geneva, Hong Kong and Shanghai. During an Antiquorum gala, Khoo sold the first watch of the OMEGA Limited Edition Constellation Iris Collection, which was presented by brand ambassador Nicole Kidman.^[6] In 2013, Khoo started the investment structure The Watch Fund, whose slogan is "Invest in watches. Wear them. Sell them for more."^[7] Contrary to a previous watch fund in Luxembourg and similar investment structures, the concept seems to allow investors to hold and wear their watches. Khoo explains: "That fund acquires watches and waits for their value to appreciate, but I thought, 'Wait a minute, you can’t touch the watches because they’re all locked up in a vault. That’s no fun at all.'"^[8] The Watch Fund promises at least a net gain of 10% annualised.^[9] Dominic is currently starting up the international watch department for Spink – the world's oldest auction house – as their only watch specialist worldwide.^[10]

Art collection

Khoo opened his first art gallery^[11] in 2011. The first venue, a rectangular warehouse location on Jalan Kilang, displayed art and photography in a 325 sq.m. single-storey building.^[12] Despite of the art pieces, the gallery also accommodated the shoe manufacturer Ed Et Al, the bespoke tailor Kevin Seah, the coffee bar Pause as well as the versatile furniture from eco brand Flexible Love.^[13] Khoo explains the reason for his collaboration: "We love handwork and craftsmanship, and we’re really nerdy about it," he says. "We always think that real luxury is about taking the time to do it properly because it has to be done, not just because you think it’s going to sell."^[14] Khoo and his partners Simon Poon and Welfred Woo reopened 28th Février in a venue named OOZI in June 2013. The black-and-white building is located near the tourist centre Orchard Road and showcases international artists such as Kongo, Mr. Fish, 3D Joe and Max, Guo Tailai and Samantha Lo, as well as sculptures by Jamie Salmon and furniture pieces by Manoteca and Flexible Love.^[15] The venue also functions as a clubhouse and central meeting point for Khoo's investment-structure The Watch Fund.^[16]

Photography

Khoo took hold of his first camera when he was 28 years old and started his professional career in the following year. In 2011, Khoo was nominated alongside American photographer Annie Leibovitz and Wing Shya for Asia Pacific Photographer of the Year.^[17] His fine art print of "Tony Leung in Beijing" was sold for 150,000 SGD, making him Singapore's most expensive living artist for a period in 2012.^[18] During his seven years of photography, he has photographed more than 150 international celebrities including actors like Nicolas Cage, Cate Blanchett, Zhang Ziyi and Tony Leung, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, soccer star Zinedine Zidane and the Dalai Lama.^[19] The photographer was an ambassador for leading camera brands like Nikon and Leica. Additionally, he has 13 works in the permanent collection of the Singapore Art Museum.^[20][21][22] Achieving his Masters Photographer's Association (UK) accreditation under two categories of avant-garde portraits and journalism, Khoo became the first professional photographer to ever qualify for two categories simultaneously.^[23] Khoo's works have several layers and often contain a deeper meaning of emotions and interactions. The artist decided not use the program Photoshop: "Actually you will find that the old photographers (and the best ones at that) never even had a computer let alone Photoshop to work with – so how is it they made people look so amazing? There are a multitude of photographic techniques that can be used (…)."^[24] Subsequently, the artist takes usually takes several thousand shots: "There is no second chance. Or a redo button," he says.^[18] Over the years, he has worked with brands such as Hermès, Mont Blanc, Banyan Tree, Chopard, Hewlett Packard, Nikon, Epson, Baume & Mercier, Christopher Guy and SK-II.^[25] After seven years, Khoo retired from photography in June 2013. He said, "God gave me a lot of guidance in the art business and hands down I'm grateful perpetually. It's been a fantastic, amazing journey and now it's time to strap on, buckle up and spring on to my next pursuit in life."^[26]

Charity project "Pure"

Khoo started his charity project "Pure" in 2007. The coffee table-sized book raised between S$10,000 and S$20,000 per copy, while the first book was sold in an auction for S$52,000. The total revenue of the project "Pure" was about S$250,000 and Khoo donated the full amount for charity.^[1] Khoo photographed Asian celebrities laughing and crying in the nude, while they expose themselves without clothing. Khoo started the project after his mother died in a bathroom accident in 2004. "It was difficult to keep things in perspective after her death. People saw me as this successful celebrity who had everything going for him, but they never saw the side of me that was at home alone, crying my guts out. Despite everything I had gone through, I realized that I had so many blessings in life and that I should do something for charity. That's when the idea of my coffee table book Pure came out," he said.^[3] Setting a contrast between the glamorous public persona and the desperate breakdown, the photographer wanted to show "the private side of these people, wrestling with their own inner demons".^[3]

The 50-page coffee table-sized book was designed by Baume & Mercier design chief Alexandre Peraldi. It features celebrities such as Michelle Chia, May & Choy, Jaymee Ong, Utt and Ploy J., Charmaine Harn, Rebecca Tan and Celina Lin. Pure was a limited edition of 30 copies, while 20 copies were sold in an eBay charity auction.^[25]

Exhibition "Access All Areas"

Khoo's solo exhibition "Access All Areas" (2010) showcased intimate moments in celebrity lives. Despite his all-access pass, he shot the famous personas from a distance as if he entered the VIP area accidentally. "Access All Areas is journalistic photography of celebrities in their surroundings, in something that they're comfortable with but still a side they never show to people and still you see a moment which is different from what the public perceives them to be," says Khoo.^[1][27]

Other projects

• Ambassador roles: Despite holding ambassador roles for camera brands like Nikon and Leica Asia-Pacific,^[20] Khoo endorses the luxury phone brand Vertu: "I love handmade work. This phone is assembled from start to the end by one craftsman and his signature is inside," he says about the collaboration.^[18]
• Model career and TV appearances: In his early twenties, Khoo worked as a professional model and endorsed L’Oreal Men's Expert Skincare Products^[28] Khoo has been featured on several television shows like "Cool and Collected" on Channel 5 and the arts show "Front" in June 2007.^[28] As a public speaker, he has given talks for renowned companies such as The Hour Glass, UBS and Hermes.
• Food reviews: Khoo was selected as a judge for the CNN Go Singapore Best Eats Awards in 2010. Alongside authors like Shermay Lee, Christopher Tan, Leslie Tay and Chef Eric Teo he tested the local dining scene in 17 categories.^[29]

Personal life

Khoo married his long-time girlfriend Lu Ting Ting in January 2013. Lu is a Singaporean born in Chongqing, China and was educated in China and the UK. The wedding was held at the Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore while the guest list included Ministers, celebrities and prominent business leaders. Their wedding cake was a commissioned 3D art piece by 3D Joe and Max. The Korean house group House Rulez and singer Leelian Chua performed during the event, alongside the famous radio DJs Chew Soo Wei and Lavinia Tan.

In 2011, Khoo and actress Zhang Ziyi met on a VIP event in Shanghai. During their conversation her breast was slightly exposed; and the moment was immediately captured by a hidden paparazzi.^[30] The picture of the "nipple slip" of Zhang Ziyi and Dominic Khoo went around the world, showing Khoo as the "bald guy" who gets a good look.^[31]

During the event "F1 Rocks" in 2009, Khoo said that he had a dispute with Lindsay Lohan, who hosted the event. According to Khoo, Lohan accused Khoo of trying to get between her and Samantha Ronson. Khoo later said, "Lindsay Lohan once gestured me to go over to her. She eventually started screaming at me, saying that I was coming in between her and Samantha Ronson, and when I said 'Errrr no, why should I come in between a lesbian couple', she replied 'You're lying, I can tell from your eyes you're lying!' before Samantha told me to forget about it."^[32]

Politics

After Khoo organised the street dance battle Juste Debout with the People's Association Chongpang, he was nominated for the Nominated Member of Parliament seat in 2012.^[33] Eventually, Khoo lost the election against stage actress Janice Koh. He said, "I wanted to use the NMP (Arts) position to strengthen the urban arts cause in the world starting from Singapore, along with other marginalized art forms like photography (which in the singapore arts context does not count as art)."

He decided to pursue the NMP position independently for a different sector. Khoo said, "I have decided that if I am going to run for NMP, it will be as an independent, not speaking for the entire Arts functional group but rather the Youth and Urban Arts. A 2-year term is really short and rather than spending 1–2 days each on every one of the hundreds of arts groups, I would want to focus on the ones that I feel closest to my heart, and make sure I pull off a bang up job."^[34]

Exhibitions

• Transport Asian (Singapore, 2009)^[35]
• Um Livro Sobre a Morte (Brazil, 2010)^[36]
• Access All Areas (Singapore, 2011)^[27]
• Singapore's Finest (Singapore, 2012)^[37]
• From Paris With Love (Singapore, 2012)^[38]

Philanthropy roles and awards

Khoo supported the non-profit initiative "Children of Cambodia" to raise awareness for medical treatments for underprivileged children.^[39] In 2008, he received the Patron of Heritage Award by the National Heritage Board.^[40][41] During this year, the board celebrated record philanthropic donations worth S$110 million. Khoo was honoured for his charity book Pure after donating for several non-profit organisations including the National Heritage Board.^[40]

Khoo supported Nikon's "Care To Give" campaign in 2009, which was a collaboration between the camera brand's charitable online platform My Picturetown and the Singapore Children's Society. "I think that in the world of social websites and utilities, I can't think of any other companies that have made it this simple to donate to charity. Getting a huge amount of web space to store and display big photographs is another bonus!" says Khoo about the collaboration.^[42] During his career, he achieved his Masters Photographer's Association (UK) accreditation under two categories of avant-garde portraits and journalism, becoming the first professional photographer to ever qualify for two categories simultaneously.^[23]

In 2010, Khoo won a merit award at the Worldwide Photography Gala Awards.^[25] The photographer was nominated for the Quintessentially Awards Asia Pacific in 2011. Celebrities such as Anna Yau, Cissy Wang, Maisa Zeman, Ranee K and model Emily Zhang and Cindy H attended the VIP gala in Hong Kong.^[43] Khoo made a political statement in August 2013, saying to The Straits Times that Singaporeans should pay higher taxes to support social spending: "My answer to higher taxes is yes, on condition that the assistance goes to those truly struggling to survive." ^[44] The newspaper's survey showed that 42% wanted to keep taxes low, while 33% supported higher taxes. The rest were neutral.

Khoo was granted with a royal warrant for photography and watch related services to HRH Prince Hakeem Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam.^[45]

References