Raphael Koh
Raphael Koh is an accomplished Fine Arts educator and practitioner with over two decades of dedicated teaching experience. A distinguished alumnus of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), he has played a significant role in shaping generations of artists through both institutional and private studio education. Prior to joining NAFA’s faculty in 2003, he was a full-time lecturer at LASALLE College of the Arts, where he taught drawing, painting, and sculpture. Both institutions are now part of the University of the Arts Singapore (UAS).
Guided by a deep commitment to artistic excellence, Raphael recognised the importance of strengthening foundational training in the visual arts, particularly through the discipline of realism. This philosophy led to the founding of Art Is Studio, where he continues to cultivate rigorous technical proficiency alongside thoughtful artistic inquiry. Besides teaching at his own studio, he is also currently an adjunct lecturer at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, where he teaches short courses and certificate programmes.
Raphael’s artistic achievements were recognised early in his career through the UOB Painting of the Year competition, where he received a Certificate of Commendation in 1991, a Certificate of Distinction in 1992, and First Prize in the Abstract Medium Category in 1993. He was also awarded a Certificate of Distinction in the Philippe Charriol Foundation Contemporary Art Competition. His works have been exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions, including the One Year After Graduation Group Exhibition at the National Museum Art Gallery.
He holds a Fine Arts degree with Distinction from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Central to his practice is the belief that realism forms a vital visual language—one that grounds artistic expression in observation, discipline, and lived experience. To him, realism is not merely a method of representation, but a way of seeing: a means of deepening one’s understanding of both art and life.
As an educator, Raphael is deeply committed to nurturing artistic growth. Under his mentorship, students have achieved international recognition through publications in Strokes of Genius, the Young Artist Award at the Affordable Art Fair, the Gold Award at the Penang International Watercolour Festival, and the Rising Star Award at International Watercolor Masters 2026. Many of his students have gone on to establish their own artistic paths, reflecting his enduring influence as both teacher and mentor.