Last year, pop sensation Taylor Swift created a media storm when she pulled all her albums off free music streaming service Spotify, proclaiming, “Art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things should be paid for.” Which then begs the million-dollar question: is art still valuable, or is it a dying commodity in today’s capitalist economy? A budding artist in Singapore sets out to seek the answer. [Illustration Credit: Todd Sullivan] Words by Natalie Koh — At first glance, Hans Chew’s vending machine may not look out of the ordinary. Standing in the School of the Arts Singapore (SOTA), it blends right in to its surroundings – why would anyone bat an eyelid at a vending machine, especially in a school, where most of its students are probably fuelled on microwave foods and fizzy drinks anyway? But take a step closer and you’ll find this ......