Chong Fah Cheong (b. 1946, Singapore - ) is an accomplished self-taught sculptor who is recognised both locally and internationally for his iconic sculptures that clearly reflect his whimsical disposition. Considered to be one of Singapore's pioneer sculptors, he currently resides in Canada, though he makes a point of exhibiting frequently in Singapore.
Early Life
Chong studied at St Joseph's Institution, Singapore from 1958 to 1960, but left after Form 3 at the age of 14 to join the La Salle Brothers Novitiate, a religious teaching order in Penang, Malaysia. He received a teaching certificate after seven years of training. However he left the religious order in 1967 for a secular life, eventually getting married and raising two children. He taught in Teluk Anson, Malaysia for a year before continuing his studies at the National University of Singapore, where he obtained a Bachelor of Social Sciences in 1971. After teaching for a year, he left for England to pursue an art education at the City of Birmingham Polytechnic. He graduated with a Diploma in Curriculum Studies in Art and Design in 1974.
When he returned to Singapore, the teaching job market was not in his favour so he decided to take up relief teaching at St Patrick's School. It was in this school that the seeds of his sculpting career were sown. Several trees had been felled within the school compound and then principal Brother Joseph McNally suggested that Chong, who taught art at the school, experiment with the wood. Working with the wood ignited Chong's interest in sculpting and eventually led to a passionate career built on self-taught sculpture techniques.
In 1978, he became a professional artist but continued to teach part-time. When the LASALLE College of the Arts (which had its roots in the St Patrick's Art Centre started by Brother McNally) was officially formed in 1984, he was one of its first few art lecturers. He taught there for three years. In 1989, he moved to Canada, where he has also served as a visiting lecturer at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology.
Accomplishments
Chong held his first solo art exhibition in 1981 and has since contributed tremendously to the local and international arts scene through his numerous exhibitions and, most importantly, through his iconic public sculptures. He is most famous for his work "First Generation" (2000), depicting a group of boys jumping into the Singapore River near the Fullerton Hotel.
"First Generation" is one of Chong's many commissioned works. His first public commission was in 1987, for a marble sculpture titled "Temu-sek" at the Somerset MRT Station in Singapore. Others include "Bull & Bear" (1988) for the Stock Exchange of Singapore, "Romp" (2002) for the city of Penticton in British Columbia, Canada, and "Once Upon a Time" (2005) for the National Library Board, Singapore.
Despite being an established artist in his field, Chong believes in continuous learning. He travels frequently not only for work and exhibitions but also to improve his craft. He regularly attends workshops and symposiums both to showcase his skills and to hone them. He even took up a one-year postgraduate certificate programme offering advanced studies to artists with several years of experience in sculpture or printmaking.
Stylistic Conventions
Chong prides himself in being versatile, with his artistic style varying from the abstract to the figurative. His works are usually a commentary on society and social issues, where he tries to explore concepts and themes pertaining to social class, power and wealth. He also works with a wide variety of materials, including various types of wood such as pine, cedar, birch and juniper as well as jade, marble and granite.
Solo Exhibitions
1981 : Woodscape, Alpha Gallery, Singapore.
1982 : Woodscape II, Leon & Joel Galleries, Singapore.
1984 : Citibank, Singapore.
1985 : Alpha Gallery, Singapore.
1992 : LASALLE, Singapore.
1992 : Openings, Strand Gallery, Merritt, British Columbia, Canada.
1994 : Dreamcatcher, The Substation, Singapore.
1996 : Recent Works, The Substation, Singapore.
1999 : Prime Elements, Fort Canning Gallery, Singapore.
Selected Group Exhibitions
1980 : Festival: Contemporary Asian Art Show, Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan.
1980 : Singapore Festival of Arts Exhibition of Contemporary Art, National Museum, Singapore.
1981 : Singapore Innovations in Art Exhibition, National Museum, Singapore.
1982 : National Day Art Exhibition, National Museum, Singapore.
1982 : Singapore Festival of Arts Exhibition of Contemporary Art, National Museum, Singapore.
1984 : Singapore Art: A Decade 1974 - 1983, Singapore Festival of Arts, National Museum, Singapore.
1985 : Second Asian Art Show, Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan.
1986 : Contemporary Asian Art Show, National Museum of Modern Art, Seoul, Korea.
1987 : Cityscape, IBM Towers, Singapore.
1987 : National Museum Centenary Art Exhibition, National Museum, Singapore.
1988 : Basics, National Museum, Singapore.
1989 : Arte & Materia '89, National Museum, Singapore.
1989 : Third Asian Art Show, Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan.
1990 : IBM Art Award Exhibition, Singapore.
1991 : Sculpture in Singapore, National Museum, Singapore.
1998 : Sculpture Survey, Gomboc Gallery, Perth, Australia.
1999 : Provocative Things, Sculpture Square, Singapore.
1999 : Hand Made: Shifting Paradigms, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore.
2001 : Proud to be Thai, Baan Bangkok Gallery, Thailand.
Commissioned Works
1987 : "Temu-sek", marble sculpture, Somerset MRT Station, Singapore.
1988 : "Bull & Bear", marble sculpture, Stock Exchange of Singapore.
1988 : "Ora et Labora", bronze plaque, St Joseph's Institution, Singapore.
1989 : "Mama's Precious One", marble sculpture, Housing and Development Board, Singapore.
1991 : "Holy Family", marble sculpture, Holy Family Church, Singapore.
2000 : "Another Day", bronze sculpture, Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore.
2000 : "First Generation", bronze sculpture, Singapore River bank, Singapore.
2001 : "An Overture", jade sculpture, House of Tan Yeok Nee, Singapore.
2002 : "Romp", bronze sculpture, City of Penticton, British Columbia, Canada.
2003 : "Girl in a Cloud", marble sculpture, Westbank, British Columbia, Canada.
2004 : "The Note-taker", bronze sculpture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore.
2005 : "Reaching Out", bronze and jade sculpture, National University of Singapore.
2005 : "Once Upon a Time", bronze and marble sculpture, National Library Board, Singapore.
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.
Author
Adlina Maulod
References
Chong, F. C. (2007, November 23). Artist's statement. Retrieved February 2, 2009, from http://www.fahcheong.com/
Chong, F. C. (2007, November 23). Bio. Retrieved February 2, 2009, from http://www.fahcheong.com/Fahcheong_bio_Oct05.pdf
Chong, F. C. (2007, November 23). CV. Retrieved February 2, 2009, from http://www.fahcheong.com/Fahcheong_CV_Oct05.pdf
Lee, G. B. (n.d.). Felled trees got him sculpting. Retrieved February 2, 2009, from http://www.fahcheong.com/gallery/newspaper_scans/2004_04_magazine.jpg
Further Readings
Chia, W. H. (Ed.). (1982). Singapore artists. Singapore: Singapore Cultural Foundation; Federal Publications.
(Call no.: RSING 759.95957 SIN)
Imaging selves: Singapore Art Museum collection exhibition series 1998-1999. (c1998). Singapore: Singapore Art Museum.
(Call no.: RSING 759.95 IMA)
Masterpieces from private collections. (1988). Singapore: The Museum.
(Call no.: RSING 709.5957 MAS)
Pan, L. (Ed.). (c2006). The encyclopedia of the Chinese overseas. Singapore: Editions Didier Millet.
(Call no.: RSING 304.80951 ENC)
Sabapathy, T. K. (c1991). Sculpture in Singapore. Singapore: National Museum.
(Call no.: RSING 730.95957 SAB)
The information in this article is valid as at 2009 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
