Digital Sanctuary

Digital artist Chong Yan Chuah explores concepts such as techno-paganism to imagine worlds that are embedded in alternative cosmologies

- Kiran Pillay

Chong Yan Chuah is a Malaysian artist, architect and designer who works primarily in the mediums of digital imagery, game art and installation art. “My work explores the entanglements between ancient myths and emerging technology, epitomised by the fusion of Chinese mythology with digital shamanism—a conceptual framework akin to techno-paganism. I am always fascinated by this convergence between traditional rituals, spirits, and cutting-edge technological advancements, which fosters spaces that resonate with our ancestral past and the digital zeitgeist of our present era,” Chong says.

As a child, Chong recalls his Hokkien grandfather stacking offerings upon carefully constructed altars to pay respects to the Jade Emperor, revered as the celestial ruler in Chinese mythology. According to the artist, his mind would often wander towards trying to envision the Emperor’s domain.

Chong carried his love of creation into university, where he studied architecture at Newcastle University and the Architectural Association in London. “My architecture training renders world-building with a digital aura, adding elements such as science fiction and video games into my expressions. It wasn’t until I delved into architecture that I began constructing my creative universes,” Chong says.