Chong Fah Cheong
Chong Fah Cheong | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 Singapore |
| Education | Self-taught; |
| Known for | Contemporary sculpture |
| Children | 2 |
| 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. He is considered one of Singapore’s pioneer sculptors[1] and was awarded the Cultural Medallion, Singapore's pinnacle arts award in 2014. 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 and education
Chong was born to a large family, the 12th child of 13 children, of a
In 1967, he returned to secular life and began his career as a school teacher in Teluk Anson,
Career
Chong was an art teacher at Saint Patrick's School in the 1970s where Brother Joseph McNally was the principal.[2] Chong made his first sculptures out of wood after being told by McNally to make use of wood from trees felled on campus.[2] Chong left teaching in 1978.[4]
In September 1981, Chong won the First Prize for Sculpture, Singapore Innovations in Art Exhibition for his art pieced, Triad.[5]
In 2000, Chong created a sculpture, First Generation, as part of a series of sculptures by various sculptors, in the Open Air Interpretative Centre project by the Singapore Tourism Board.[6] The sculpture was the first to be unveiled on December 31, 2000.[6]
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 was 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.[7]
In 2002, Chong was commissioned by the city of Penticton to create a piece of public art, The Romp, a bronze statue of children playing.[8]
In 2011, Chong was commissioned by Asia-Pacific Breweries, in celebration of their 80th anniversary, to create a bronze sculpture, Chang Kuda, featuring six boys riding piggy-back.[8] The $200,000 piece was unveiled in 2011 at the Swan Lake in the Singapore Botanic Gardens.[8]
The Bamboo Garden at the National Library building featured nine of Chong's bronze and marble figures of readers and fantastical creatures.[8] The garden was opened for public use in April 2012.[8]
In 2014, Chong was awarded the Cultural Medallion.[9]
Eighteen sculture pieces from Chong are part of Singapore's National Collection of art and displayed in the National Art Gallery when it opened in 2015.[8]
Personal life
Chong married Pang Guek Cheng, a journalist,[4] in 1972[8] and had 2 children together.[2] In 1989, Chong moved his family to Merritt, British Columbia, Canada for a slower pace of life and his children are not coping well with Chinese classes in school.[2]
Gallery
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First Generation (2000)
Size: various
Medium: Bronze
Collection: Fullerton Hotel
Location: Cavenagh Bridge, Singapore
_by_Chong_Fah_Cheong,_Cavenagh_Bridge,_Singapore_-_20090120.jpg)
Major exhibitions
| Dates | Title | Location | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 November - 28 November 1981 | Woodscape | Alpha Gallery Singapore |
[5] |
| 1982 | Woodscape II | Leon & Joel Galleries Singapore |
[4] |
| 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 GallerySingapore |
|
| Recent Works (12 – 20 October) |
The Substation Singapore |
||
| 19 September - 20 October 1999 | Handmade: Shifting Paradigms (Group show) |
Singapore Art Museum Singapore |
|
| 1 February 2013 - 28 April 2013 | Textures, Tones & Timbres: Art of Chong Fah Cheong | NUS MuseumSingapore | [8] |
References
- ^ "Theatre veteran, poet and sculptor awarded Cultural Medallion". AsiaOne. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Huang, Lijie (16 October 2014). "HONOURING ARTISTIC TALENTS / Making sculptures out of wood". The Straits Times. pp. C8 – C9.
- ^ Geok Boi, Lee (April 2004). "Felled trees got him sculpting". Singapore Magazine. Singapore International Foundation.
- ^ a b c "Carving a niche with wood relief". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. The Straits Times. 12 May 1982. p. 3. Retrieved 6 January 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ a b "Sculptor: Let public interpret". New Nation. 10 November 1981. p. 22. Retrieved 6 January 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ a b Sim, Melissa (2 September 2002). "Be on the lookout for small scenes of life by the Singapore River in the past the next time you go by". Singapore: Straits Times Life!.
- ^ Chong, Vince (19 July 2001). "Monument gets new jade sculpture". Singapore: The Business Times, Executive Suite. p. 20.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Legacy carved in stone". The Straits Times. 8 April 2013. pp. C4.
- ^ 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
| International | |
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| National | |
