Heman Chong is busy. “Like, SUPER busy, because I’m working on, like, eight solo shows at the same time,” the 46-year-old Singaporean artist says. “The next three years will be really, really intense, but I’m enjoying the intensity and that complexity of having to work on so many things at the same time.” Aside from the big solo exhibitions coming up, he is in group presentations, he has commissioned pieces, and he has shows scheduled in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Conceptual artist Chong hustles hard. Like, super hard, as he might put it. Yet if you saw him wandering along a roadside in Singapore—strolling is a part of his practice—you’d be forgiven for not realising he is one of the country’s most significant cultural figures. He likes to blend into the background, in his T-shirts, Nike sweatpants and sneakers: the perfect cover for making the deep observations that inform and shape his art. Of course, once he starts speaking, you realise he is not your average man on the street and how serious he is about what he does.
“The walking is very, very important because it’s also a way of engaging with my body,” he says. “It’s part exercise, part reflection, part meditation. A lot of the ideas that I am working on [are processed] when I’m walking. I’m a very sort of classically Greek kind of guy—it’s like the idea of pre-ambulating.”
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2024 من Tatler Singapore.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2024 من Tatler Singapore.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Mathew Leong
As the Norway-based Singaporean chef celebrates a milestone year both personally and professionally, he opens up about the toughest moments of his career and why failing is not an option
Asian Inspirations
Chef Ace Tan on his second restaurant, Asu-his love letter to regional Asian cuisine
State of the Arts
Arts nominated member of parliament Usha Chandradas discusses growing the creative economy by focusing on both supply and demand
Through a Curator's Lens
Circe Henestrosa, a fashion curator and the head of the School of Fashion at Lasalle College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore, merges her personal connection with artist Frida Kahlo with her extensive curatorial experience to explore intersecting themes of identity, disability and cultural heritage
Second Nature
Poet and educator Yong Shu Hoong brings fresh perspectives to the helm of the Singapore Writers Festival, from interdisciplinary perspectives to multilingual programmes
Wine Down
Nothing wraps up the day like a nice glass of vino. From flashy hedonistic escapades to geeky watering holes, these new wine bars promise celebrated viniferous pours that will please even the most discerning of oenophiles
A Legacy in Silhouettes
Kristina Blahnik, CEO of the designer shoe brand Manolo Blahnik and the niece of its legendary founder, shares her insights on preserving the house's heritage and introduces the new Manolo's Silhouettes campaign
To Have and to Hold
With its sumptuous textures, Loro Piana's elegant autumn/winter 2024 collection is a chic celebration of craft, quality and the universal appeal of tactility
Scent of Strength
Hermès unveils its first chypre perfume, Barénia―a captivating fragrance crafted by renowned perfumer Christine Nagel that embodies bold femininity and celebrates the brand's rich heritage
Nocturnal Revival
Nighttime skincare rituals will get a boost of supercharged restoration with La Mer's new Rejuvenating Night Cream