Koh Buck Song (b. 1963)
CRITICAL INTRODUCTION
The Architecture of Attention and the Worth of Wonder
Written by Aaron Lee
Dated 17 Jul 2026
"Creatures from under whether real or not / can teach the worth of wonder," writes Koh Buck Song in "The Magic of Loch Ness," summarizing a poetic career dedicated to the "discipline of attentiveness" (Koh, The Worth of Wonder). As a prominent figure in the Singaporean literary landscape since the early 1990s, Koh emerged during a period of rapid national growth, whose work reflected the city-state's burgeoning modernity. A journalist, branding consultant and writer, Koh’s poetry is situated in the post-independence era, characterised by a "helicopter vision" that bridges the gap between state planning and the textures of daily life (Koh, "industry" reading). In literary terms, this means that Koh’s poetry combines social insight with human sensitivity, and he neither loses sight of broader social structures and developments nor ignores the richness of ordinary life.
Throughout his literary career, Koh has occupied the intersection of nation-building and creative observation, using the language of the corporate world to investigate the human impact on Singapore’s identity formation. His work seeks to reflect how to "shore" Singaporean identity against (post)modern global currents, suggesting how a "tiger economy" can maintain its cultural soul through art. Koh utilises a poetics of situated perception to navigate the tensions between national branding and historical continuity. In recent years, Koh has embraced the haiga, a traditional 16th-century Japanese art form that integrates minimalist haiku poetry with simple ink sketches or paintings, and situated it in the context of Singapore. The haiga form is characterised by a disciplined synergy between textual and visual elements, where the artwork and the poem are designed to complement one another rather than one merely illustrating the other. This perfectly suits Koh’s own poetic posture of prioritising quiet insight and "restrained expression" over abstract or highly interpretive styles.
Thematic and Contextual Analysis: Place, Labor, and the Architecture of Wonder
Koh Buck Song’s poetic output is linked to his professional life and the socio-political evolution of post-independence Singapore. Born in 1963, Koh’s career includes journalism at The Straits Times, strategic planning at Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB), and country branding consultancy. While these experiences augmented Koh’s perspectives on Singapore’s evolution, his poetry often serves as a humanising counterpoint to the language of statecraft. His background at the EDB informs the technical lexicon in poems like "industry" where he juxtaposes corporate jargon—such as "unique selling points" and "supply chains"—with the physical reality of manual labour (Koh, the world anew, 2023). This intersection creates a tension; while he contributes to the Singapore "brand," his verse seeks to document the "unsung heroes" and the historical grit that official narratives might overlook. Furthermore, Koh’s academic background at universities such as Cambridge provides a cosmopolitan lens through which Singapore may be viewed in an international context. Thus, while he remains deeply rooted in Singaporean themes, his world view is characterised by an openness to foreign landscapes and a detached, observational style. In his second collection, The Worth of Wonder (2001), Koh explicitly organizes his poems into sections titled "Singapore," "Outside," and "Inside." This structure highlights a clear distinction between the local and the foreign, reflecting a cosmopolitan ability to step outside one's national boundaries to gain a different vantage point. Even his pioneering of the haiga art form in Singapore demonstrates a cosmopolitan openness to foreign disciplines. By adapting a 16th-century Japanese form to capture modern Singaporean urban motifs—such as HDB corridors or the Merlion—he creates a cross-cultural dialogue that transcends national boundaries.
Recent reflections from Koh’s residency at the National Gallery Singapore further highlight this interplay between personal biography and national history. In his "Brief History in Toa Payoh," Koh identifies a "point of symmetry" between his birth year (1963) and Georgette Chen’s painting Singapore Waterfront, suggesting that his own life cycle is intrinsically bound to the visual and economic milestones of the nation (Koh, "A Brief History in Toa Payoh"). This personal connection extends to his treatment of the "heartlands", a term that (along with its counterpart "heartlander") began to be used regularly as a local socio-political label in Singapore government policy and political rhetoric in the early 1990s. In "Corridor, Bukit Merah," Koh describes the transition from the "mud, rocks, and snakes" of the old kampong to the "solid linear platforms" of modern HDB blocks (Koh, "Corridor, Bukit Merah"). Here, the architectural precision of the state is not merely criticized but is viewed as a "kueh lapis kampong"—a layered, modern community where social levelling occurs.
The themes of Koh’s poetry revolve around the "poetics of place," the dignity of labour, and the tension between appearance and authenticity. His collection “The Worth of Wonder” is organised by geography—categorising experiences into "Singapore," "Outside," and "Inside"—underscoring how locale shapes identity (Tse, "The Absence of the Contemporary"). In "Shoring Singapore," Koh explores the reclamation of land, viewing the changing coastline as a symbol of a national identity reconfigured by "mandates, visions, and plans" (Koh, " 'shoring' Singapore " reading). This urban focus is contrasted with a fascination with the "worth of wonder," a theme prominent in his travel-inspired works. For Koh, wonder is a state of awe that acts as an alternative to the materialism and cynicism of modern life (QLRS, 2003). Whether contemplating the "spongy presence of lore" at Loch Ness or the social interactions in "Wayang Kulit," Koh’s recurring concern is the dual nature of reality: the visible surface versus the deeper essence (Koh, The Worth of Wonder).
Stylistic and Formal Analysis: Precision, Economy, and the Visual Word
The tone of Koh Buck Song’s poetry has been largely defined by a reflective persona that balances journalistic detachment with poignancy. Koh often adopts the role of an observer in his poetic persona—a "flâneur" of the city whose attitude is one of "disciplined attentiveness" (Tse, 2015). In poems exploring development, his voice can be ironic, questioning the efficiency of state planning while remaining empathetic toward individuals. This tone shifts in his travel works, where irony gives way to a search for "wonder." In "The Magic of Loch Ness" (Koh, The Worth of Wonder, 2001) the traveller’s cynicism is replaced by a spiritual longing. This duality allows Koh to remain grounded in the pragmatic reality of an economy while addressing metaphysical concerns.
Koh’s stylistic approach often employs mathematical and scientific metaphors to describe social cohesion. In "Close Quarters, Chinatown," he utilises the "arithmetic of survival" and "venn diagrams of neighborhood" to illustrate the "special science" of living in high-density urban environment (Koh, A Brief History of Toa Payoh, 1992). By framing community as a "geometry," Koh strips away sentimentalism to reveal a more resilient, functional form of human connection. This formal precision mirrors his professional background in strategic planning, yet it serves a deeply humanistic end: acknowledging that an individual is "not a whole number... but a digit in a spectrum of denominators."
Form and structure in Koh’s work are guided by a commitment to clarity and the merger of the literary with the visual. While he utilises free verse to accommodate urban rhythms, he increasingly uses the haiku and the tradition of haiga (Koh, The World Anew). This formal choice is not merely aesthetic; the brevity of the haiku mirrors the "economy of expression" in branding yet forces a pause that resists the rush of modern productivity. Stanzaic patterns in longer poems, such as "Shoring Singapore," often mirror their subjects; fragmented lines reflect the instability of reclaimed land (Koh, " 'shoring' Singapore " reading). Through these structures, Koh contains expansive concepts within manageable frames of reference. Just as a well-designed logo distils complexity into an instantly legible mark, Koh's stanzas and lines function as visual and conceptual containers, condensing sprawling themes—nationhood, land, memory—into forms the eye and mind can hold at once.
The rhythm of Koh’s verse is dictated by line breaks and a cadence that favours reflection. He avoids rigid metre for a conversational flow that emphasises specific points of impact. In "industry," line breaks isolate technical terms from descriptive ones, creating a tension that underscores the gap between economic theory and manual practice (Koh, "industry" analysis). This cadence ensures that the reader dwells on the weight of each word. His rhythm is often punctuated by the stillness of haiga compositions, where the accompanying visual image (painted by himself) provides an anchor that slows the reading process, reflecting his goal of finding extraordinary meaning in ordinary scenes.
The Haiga Practice and Critical Reception: Modernising Tradition
A defining characteristic of Koh’s later career is his practice of haiga, a multi-disciplinary art form modernised for a global audience. Traditionally a Japanese practice combining haiku with ink sketches, Koh has adapted this medium to explore contemporary Singaporean and international themes. His book The World Anew: Poetry and Haiga Inspired by Art in Pandemic Times (2023), produced during his residency at the National Gallery Singapore, serves as a manifesto for this practice (Koh, The World Anew). In this work, Koh uses the brevity of the English haiku to engage in dialogue with visual artworks, such as the social realism of Chen Chong Swee —a pioneer first-generation artist and a key figure in the development of the Nanyang style, which blended traditional Chinese techniques with Western artistic principles and local subject matter.
What distinguishes Koh’s haiga is is that it often incorporates local linguistic nuances—as seen in the title "National Gallery ho seh"—to anchor the form in Singapore’s modern, post-colonial reality (Koh, "National Gallery ho seh" reading). By pairing ink sketches with three-line observations, he creates a synergy of text and image that slows the reader’s pace. “National Gallery ho seh” reads “Padang so calm, whole: /Only art’s imagined strife/ Rustles grass, stirs souls” and is accompanied by an ink brush sketch of the iconic National Gallery building (formerly City Hall) with a foreground of single stroke blades of green grass (the Padang) in the traditional Japanese sumi-e brush painting style. The City Hall and the Padang form the historical and political heart of Singapore. They are the sites where the country transitioned from a British colony, survived the Japanese Occupation, and declared its independence, and both are today gazetted as national monuments. This is an example of Koh’s work that has been received as a vital bridge between art spaces and the public. Thus Koh’s work serves as an enduring legacy of “seeing the world anew," (as the title of the collection suggests). In a 2026 interview with the author of this article, Koh responded to a question about his interest in the practice of haiga by explaining “Experimenting with haiga meant that I could create more works of poetry and also exercise my own interest in art. I would also be able to delve into an art form that is steeped in Japanese culture and heritage. The fact that haiga is such a niche art form also appeals to what I call my “blue ocean” approach to life (a personal take on the marketing framework originated by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne)- ie. to seek out areas of creativity and work that have as few other practitioners as possible”.
Conclusion: The Enduring Discipline of Attention
By synthesising a "helicopter vision" with the visual economy of haiga, Koh has developed a stylistic framework that shores Singaporean identity against the currents of modernisation. His thematic preoccupation with the "worth of wonder" is underpinned by a formal approach that utilizes corporate diction as a metaphor for the human condition and a measured rhythm that encourages reflection.
A commentator has observed Koh’s poetry was evincing a "cloying" nostalgia for a past Singapore and a detached "Grand Tourist" perspective in travel, representing an inability to engage with contemporary Singaporean reality (Tse, 2015). A counterpoint is that these same traits are better seen as Koh’s strategic tools for national and personal identity-building, rather than an escape from the present. By highlighting the pride and self-sufficiency of early settlers in the title poem of the collection “A Brief History of Toa Payoh”, Koh’s poetry acts as a cultural anchor. Even today, in a city-state defined by rapid, fast-forward transformation, his nostalgia serves as a necessary record of the emotional cost of progress, ensuring that the brave new world does not entirely erase the human struggle that built it. The clutch of nature poems in “The Ocean of Ambition” acknowledges that Singapore is making itself into a different kind of concrete jungle, one that has “a self-contained rainforest and ecosystem [with] a plethora of beauty and bounty”, and that “Nature, like the human spirit, [cannot] be crushed by development” (Author’s Introduction, The Ocean of Ambition). While Edwin Thumboo and Robert Yeo often wrote to establish a national consciousness and address the political exigencies of a young republic, Koh’s poems bring into sharp focus the granularity of lived experience within the unique urban landscapes created by Singapore’s nation-building project.
Ultimately, Koh’s contribution to literature lies in his ability to reclaim the ordinary. This approach democratises poetry, ensuring that the everyday ordinary life and people are given an authentic voice and a platform. His practice of English-language haiga and his focus on the dignity of labour offer a humanising counter-narrative to economic milestones. In an era defined by digital noise, Koh’s advocacy for a "discipline of attentiveness" remains relevant today. His work suggests that the true identity of a place is not found in its branding, but in the depth of perception brought to it. Through his verse, Koh Buck Song has served to demonstrate that even in a city that reinvents itself as rapidly as Singapore, the soul of the nation can be found by those who choose to see the world anew.
Works cited
Koh Buck Song. The World Anew: Poetry and Haiga Inspired by Art in Pandemic Times. National Gallery Singapore, 2023.
---. The Worth of Wonder. Times Books International, 2001.
---. " 'shoring' Singapore ". Poetry reading/analysis, National Gallery Singapore, 2022.
---. "industry". Poetry reading and analysis, National Gallery Singapore, 2021-2022.
---. "National Gallery ho seh". Poetry reading and haiga analysis, National Gallery Singapore, 2023.
---. "Nanyang school". Poetry reading and place branding analysis, National Gallery Singapore, 2023.
---. "The Magic of Loch Ness". Poetry reading, Singapore Writers Festival, 2017.
---. "Close Quarters, Chinatown". Poetry reading and commentary, YouTube, 2022.
---. "Corridor, Bukit Merah". Poetry reading and commentary, YouTube, 2022.
---. "A Brief History in Toa Payoh". Video reflection on "The People's Gallery," YouTube, 2021.
---. "Poetry evening celebrating Singapore and Wolfson College at 60". Event recording, Wolfson College, Cambridge, 2024.
"Koh Buck Song". Wikipedia, 2024.
"Koh Buck Song". Penguin Random House SEA, 2026.
"Koh Buck Song poetic themes and style". Quarterly Literary Review Singapore (QLRS), Vol. 2 No. 2, Jan 2003. Interview.
Pang, Alvin. "Slippery Disconnect: Review of The Ocean of Ambition". Quarterly Literary Review Singapore (QLRS), Vol. 3 No. 2, Jan 2004.
Tse Hao Guang. "The Absence of the Contemporary in Koh Buck Song". Poetry.sg, 4 Nov 2015.
