Chong Fah Cheong
Chong Fah Cheong | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 |
| Nationality | Singaporean |
| Education | Self-taught; |
| Known for | Contemporary sculpture |
| Awards | 1981: First Prize for Sculpture, Singapore Innovations in Art Exhibition 1982: Special Award, National Day Art Exhibition 1987: Certificate of Participation, National Museum Centenary Art Exhibition 1988: Merit Award, IBM Art Award Exhibition 1990: Merit Award, IBM Art Award Exhibition 2014: Cultural Medallion |
Chong Fah Cheong (simplified Chinese: 张华昌; traditional Chinese: 張華昌; pinyin: Zhāng Huá Chāng) is a Singaporean sculptor known for many public sculptures in Singapore. Though he worked in a variety of styles from abstract to figurative, his name is identified with a series of figurative sculptures depicting the life of people living and working along the Singapore River.
Early life[]
Chong was born to a large family of a general practitioner. Since the age of four, he loved to draw and sketch, and displayed talent in art. In school this talent continued to shine, but he was never good with his academic subjects. At the age of 14, the young Chong decided to quit school after completing Form 3 (Year 10) education at the St. Joseph's Institution, to join the Lasalle Brothers novitiate in Penang. Chong spent the next 7 years with the teaching order, leading a cloistered life and training to be a teacher. In 1967, he returned to secular life and began his career as a school teacher in Teluk Anson in Malaysia. A year later, he left his job to read Social Science at the University of Singapore.[1]
Career[]
In 2001 Chong was commissioned by Wing Tai Holdings to create An Overture, a 3,700 tonne jade sculpture to be installed at the courtyard of the House of Tan Yeok Nee. The $800,000 commission work began on 14 February that year, and unveiled at the House on 13 July 2001 to complement the finishing of the restoration work on the 115-year-old national monument, which was completed in September 2000 at a cost of $12 million.[2]
In 2014, Chong was awarded the Cultural Medallion.[3]
Gallery[]
First Generation (2000)
Size: various
Medium: Bronze
Collection: Fullerton Hotel
Location: Cavenagh Bridge, Singapore
Major exhibitions[]
| Dates | Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Woodscape | Alpha Gallery Singapore |
| 1982 | Woodscape II | Leon & Joel Galleries Singapore |
| 1984 | Exhibition | Citibank Singapore |
| 1985 | Exhibition | Alpha Gallery Singapore |
| 1992 | Sculptures in Wood, Stone & Bronze (22 – 27 August) |
Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts Singapore |
| Openings | Strand Gallery Merritt, British Columbia | |
| 23 August - 28 August 1994 |
Dreamcatcher | The Substation Singapore |
| 1996 | Prime Elements (7 – 16 May) |
Fort Canning Centre Gallery Singapore |
| Recent Works (12 – 20 October) |
The Substation Singapore | |
| 19 September - 20 October 1999 |
Handmade: Shifting Paradigms (Group show) |
Singapore Art Museum Singapore |
References[]
- ^ Geok Boi, Lee (April 2004). "Felled trees got him sculpting". Singapore Magazine. Singapore International Foundation.
- ^ Chong, Vince (19 July 2001). "Monument gets new jade sculpture". Singapore: The Business Times, Executive Suite. p. 20.
- ^ Chia, Alice (15 October 2014). "Cultural Medallion winners: A poet, a sculptor and a theatre director". MediaCorp Pte Ltd. Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chong Fah Cheong. |
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|---|---|
| General | |
| National libraries | |
- 1946 births
- Living people
- Singaporean people of Chinese descent
- Singaporean artists
- Singaporean sculptors
- Recipients of the Cultural Medallion