BIOGRAPHY

      Dr Chng, born in 1969, is a respected artist in Singapore with a decade of exhibition at the highest level. Dr Chng is known for his works commenting on technology. His unique training has placed him in a position to employ the use of technology and to explore the impact of technology on society and culture.

      As a young student, Dr Chng attended part-time painting classes at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore.

      Dr Chng pursued Medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and Ophthalmology at the National University of Singapore. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Hong Kong. His training in Medicine enabled him to understand biotechnology, discuss relevant issues, and incorporate the logic and aesthetics inherent in the field. His training in Ophthalmology enabled him to understand the process of perception, and to apply visual science in his works.

      Since age 13, Dr Chng has a strong interest in computers and information technology. Since 1996, he has co-founded three information technology start-ups, two have been acquired by listed companies. His appreciation of technology has allowed him to discuss relevant issues, and incorporate the logic and aesthetics inherent in the field. He is adept in the use of multi-media as a tool to design his works, document his processes, and to present his works.

     Dr Chng has participated in art shows in South-east Asia, Japan, England, Ireland, and France. His website, Biotechnics, at www.biotechnics.org, has been visited by more than ten thousand unique visitors, and has been featured in an international multi-media show in Australia.

     His works are collected by the National Arts Council, Singapore, and Pinetree Town and Country Club, Singapore, and are exhibited in the offices of Tollyjoy, Singapore, and DBS Asset Management, Singapore. His works are in private collections in Singapore, England, Scotland, and Ireland.

     In 1991, Dr Chng emerged into the Singapore arts scene when he created a 12-screen video installation, The Sin of Apathy, at the National Museum, Singapore, for the National Sculpture Show. In the same year, Dr Chng released another video installation at the National Museum, Where Do You Go When You Close Your Eyes ?

    In 1991, at 21, he became the youngest artist to stage a solo show, New Works, at the National Museum, Singapore. In 1992, Dr Chng was selected to be the youngest participant of the Shave International Artists’ Workshop in England. Dr Chng was supported by the Singapore International Foundation. In 1994, he staged his second solo show, Recent Works, at Swee Guan Gallery.  In 1998, he staged his third solo show, Biotechnics, at the Substation, Singapore. The National Arts Council has consistently supported him in staging his shows.

    In 1994, Dr Chng received double honourable mention for his works at the Philip Morris Art Awards, and in the same year, he received triple high commendation for his works at the Painting of the Year Competition. In 1996, Dr Chng received the Dr Tan Tze Chor Art Award from the Singapore Art Society for his work Woods and Cacophony, a product of Dr Chng’s exploration of metallic paints as a medium to highlight technology.

    Dr Chng’s work, Biotics, explored the use of performance enhancing drugs, and Motherboard, explored the possibility of artificial wombs. In Biotechnics, Dr Chng explored the concept of cyborgs, and in Micro-organics, Dr Chng explored the aesthetics of cellular structures. In Ophthalmologesis, Dr Chng explored the creation of eyes from stem cells, and in Fovea, Dr Chng presented the most important part of the retina. In God Created, Dr Chng employed images captured by X-rays, and in Spirits, Dr Chng employed images created by Magnetic Resonance Imaging. In Biotechnoethics, Dr Chng presented succinct phrases that provoked thought and insight on bioethical issues.

     In 1999, Dr Chng became the youngest artist in the visual arts category to be awarded the Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council, Singapore. To further his artistic training, Dr Chng attended Yale University, where he undertook modules on Visual Studies, Structural Engineering, 3D Form and Materials, Architectural Design, Architectural History, Architectural Drawing and Workshop Techniques.

     In 1999, Dr Chng was one of the sixteen artists selected to participate in the augural show, Provocative Things, of Sculpture Square, Singapore. His works have been commented on in various publications, such as World Sculpture News.

     In 2001, Dr Chng presented Techtonics, a series of early works from 1989 to 1992, which documents the language acquisition and material mastery in his development as an artist at ippreciation DP Space, Singapore.

     Dr Chng is a member of the arts resource panel of the National Arts Council, Singapore.  He has been called to serve as an external assessor to assess contemporary art exhibitions. He is serving on the Nokia Singapore Art steering committee, which oversees the organization of the artshow in Singapore. He is serving on the Arts Education Council, which aims to upgrade the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and La-Salle School of the Arts, and to establish the Institute of the Arts at the National University of Singapore. He has also served in the Georgette Chen Arts Scholarship Panel, and as a committee member of the Modern Art Society.