President Tharman’s secret protege? An ex-convict who’s become an artist
For many years, the president and his wife have helped ex-gangster Kim Whye Kee transform his life – through clay and kindness
WHEN Kim Whye Kee was putting the finishing touches on his latest ceramics exhibition, he turned to an unlikely advisory board: Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his wife, Jane Ittogi.
The three are in a WhatsApp chat group, where Kim floated an idea – painting nostalgic Singaporean toys such as chapteh and five stones onto his latest teacups and teapots. The president and his wife responded not just with enthusiasm but with thoughtful suggestions that helped refine the concept.
The result? A hit show at art space Art Outreach, where collectors snapped up more than 270 of the 280 handcrafted pieces. While the president could not attend, his wife more than made up for his absence – she delivered a speech, stayed for over two hours, and chatted with visitors about art and tea, all with the warmth and quiet gravitas she is known for.
For Kim, the Tharmans have been more than patrons of his art. They have been lifelines. Once a gang leader and drug addict, Kim credits the couple as “90 per cent of the reason” he has stayed out of trouble for the past 17 years. “When you have two people who truly believe in you and support you, you start to believe in yourself too,” he says.
From prison to pottery
His path to artistry was anything but conventional. Between 1998 and 2008, Kim served three separate prison sentences. Behind bars, he discovered pottery – a craft that not only gave him a skill but a purpose. Yet, upon his release, no one would hire him. Interview after interview ended in rejection. And so, he turned to what he knew best. “No one can tell me I cannot make cups and bowls,” he says. “I didn’t have many choices.”
It was around that time that Ittogi – a longtime champion of the arts – met Kim at an exhibition and invited him to a Meet-the-People Session (MPS) hosted by her husband. Tharman was then a Member of Parliament for Jurong, and Kim, fresh out of prison, was living in his sister’s home in Taman Jurong.
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Their first meeting was a moment Kim recalls vividly. “I thought he would ask about the tattoos on my arms, like most people do,” he says. “But instead, he sensed my discomfort and simply said, ‘Just be yourself.’”
Kim took those words to heart, becoming a volunteer with Tharman’s team, knocking on doors and conducting outreach. When he later enrolled at Lasalle College of the Arts to hone his craft, he faced a new obstacle – he could not afford a laptop. Tharman quietly stepped in and got him one.
Over the years, the Tharmans continued their quiet, steadfast support – paying for his art materials, introducing him to veteran artist Henri Chen KeZhan (who funded his first year of art school), and never asking for anything in return. When Kim eventually found some financial stability and tried to repay them, they refused. They said: “Give the money to someone else who needs it.”
Paying it forward
In an era where political goodwill can often feel performative, the Tharmans’ generosity was personal, private and deeply honest. Kim says he sometimes cries when he thinks about what they have done for him. Coming from a broken home where his father gambled away his salary and loan sharks regularly banged on their door, Kim had never known true stability.
His father died in 2007. His elderly mother, now working as a cleaner, insists on doing her part – voluntarily sweeping through Art Outreach every evening during the exhibition run, making sure the space where her son’s art is celebrated remains pristine.
To Kim’s credit, he has learnt to give back. The success of his exhibitions at Art Outreach – his first was in 2024, and a third is planned for 2026 – has given him the means to lift others up. He recently donated a four-figure sum to Art Outreach to support its mission of promoting Singapore-based artists.
Art Outreach chairman Mae Anderson wept when he handed her the donation. “We started this community art space in 2020 to provide artists with free exhibition space and micro-grant funding,” she says. “We’ve supported well over 100 artists in this space – and Whye Kee is the first to turn around and help us.”
Kim’s life today is a far cry from his days as a gang leader. Though art helped him break away from his past, he credits the unwavering faith of the Tharmans for “truly changing the course of my life.”
His teacups aren’t just well-crafted ceramics – they’re symbols of redemption and second chances.
Visit Kim Whye Kee’s Instagram account @qipottery
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