Born in 1946 in Singapore, Chong Fah Cheong is regarded as one of Singapore’s pioneer sculptors. A teacher by training, Chong is a graduate from the University of Singapore, and has a Diploma in Curriculum Studies in Art and Design from the City of Birmingham Polytechnic, United Kingdom. He taught art in Singapore schools before becoming a professional artist in 1978. In 1989, Chong moved to Canada where he currently lives and works but makes regular trips back to Singapore to engage with the local art scene and participate in exhibitions.While Chong is known for his sculptures that reflect and comment on societal issues, at times, the challenge of working in wood, the process of carving is in itself, to him the art. In creating ‘Shell’, which is hollowed out of one side with a fluid gentle rise on the reverse, he did not begin with a specific idea but to simply explore the potential of this piece of teak wood and to reveal the form within.
