Remember what the world was like before social media and the Internet, when toys and figurines acted as a form of escapism for generations of children and older collectors alike?

Daniel Yu does.

The toys that this 80s kid played with served as a magical portal into the pop culture of that time. It ignited his imagination and passion so much so that he became a self-taught artist and independent toymaker working primarily in the mediums of clay and resin.

Today, the 36-year-old business management graduate from Singapore Management University combines local tradition and pop culture ephemera in his works which have gained a cult following in both the local as well as international scenes.

His latest creation, Shining Wizard, is currently on display at Bernina within Funan as part of the shopping mall's Creative Intersections project held in conjunction with the Lunar New Year.

"For Creative Intersections, Chan + Hori Contemporary brought together 15 artist and brand collaborations to respond to the Year of the Tiger, and, in particular, Singapore's connection to tigers through history, mythology, pop culture and so forth," says project curator Deborah Lim.

"We brought together creatives — from fashion designers to poets, visual artists to independent toymakers such as Daniel Yu — for this initiative to bring art into a public sphere through personal encounters."

We caught up with Daniel to learn more about his latest figurine series and how it was inspired by... pro wrestling?

Tell us about your roar-some collab with Funan!

Chan+Hori Contemporary approached me for "Creative Intersections: In the Year of The Tiger". I was immediately drawn to the tiger narrative and the collaborative nature of bringing artists and brands together.

The tiger — majestic and regal — has been shaped by our imagination through years of folklore, mythology and popular culture. I was compelled to create something that evoked all these qualities, with a contemporary spin to it.

We're big fans of pro wrestling, and we hear you are too! How did your love of wrestling influence your creation of Shining Wizard?

I came up with the character Shining Wizard (named after a wrestling move), a professional wrestler that dons a sacred tiger mask and is imbued with the spirit of the ferocious beast.

I grew up in an era when wrestlers were as close to real-life superheroes as you could get — athletes in a high-action theatrical soap opera that you could watch on TV every week. Many of them looked like they had stepped right out of the pages of a comic book — outrageous personalities, flamboyant ring gear and chiselled physiques.

I was particularly fascinated with masked wrestlers. They carried around an aura of mystery and intrigue that made them even more appealing. Oftentimes, their masks had elements of animals or symbolic references that labeled them either a good guy or bad guy. The wrestlers would channel the identities of the masks they wore during their performances.

The Shining Wizard is an embodiment of that particular genre in professional wrestling.

The character also draws references to a wrestler called Tiger Mask, who, incidentally, was inspired by a Japanese manga and anime series in the 70s of the same name.

Tell us about how your love for toys and action figurines began.

As a kid, I played with toys — and that progressed to collecting them, which eventually led to wanting to make my own. My first interaction with sculpture was in the form of toys and action figures. I liked their tactile nature, how you could pick them up with your hands, feel and pose them.

Being able to look at [an action figure] from all angles — it’s a sensory exploration of discovering all the different details and textures that the sculptor meticulously created, even if it’s a child’s plaything.

This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg