Cheo Chai Hiang
Cheo Chai-Hiang graduated from the Royal College of Art before becoming a Rome Scholar at the British School at Rome. He was a Senior Lecturer at the School of Contemporary Arts, University of Western Sydney. He is currently working on a project with the Contemporary Asian Arts Centre.
Source: written by Kwok Kian Chow
...Writing in the early-1970s,
Cheo Chai Hiang anticipated the new art of the 1980s and 1990s. In an article
published in Chinese, Cheo advocated the following new concerns in art:
rejection of formalism; incorporation of intensely personal and emotive
elements; inclusion of objects not previously regarded as art; emphasis on the
artistic process as opposed to the finished work, use of indigenous materials;
articulation of the relationship between material and the creative act; the
visual experience not being the only reference for the creation of visual arts;
and the incorporation of audience participation in a creative act ("Xin de yishu
xin de guannian").
The first art work in Singapore which fit Cheo's new concern was Tan Teng Kee's
Picnic event of 1979. Tan created a one-hundred-metre long painting entitled The
Lonely Road which he cut into smaller pieces according to the wishes of the
viewers. The end of the event was marked by Tan's incineration of one of his
sculptural works...
DYSFUNCTIONAL GRAMMARS
Cheo Chai-Hiang, Ben Denham, Low Eng Teong
You are invited to
Meet the artists and performance night
6pm to 9pm
Wednesday 15 December 2004
The Art Gallery
National Institute of Education
NTU
Cheo Chai-Hiang
Ben Denham
Low Eng Teong
Works that involve
Reading,
writing,
translating
or interpreting of texts.
Four Corners 1 Cheo Chai-Hiang
Public Forum: Contemporary Art
Practices in Singapore
Jointly organised by SAM and NAFA in conjunction with The President's Young
Talents Exhibition 2003.
4 May (Sun), 2pm - 5pm, SAM Auditorium, Free.
Presented in Mandarin
Chairperson: Chua Ek Kay
Discussants: Baet Yeok Kuan, Cheo Chai Hiang,
Han Sai Por, Amanda Heng, Huangfu Binghui,
Lim Poh Teck
Erased, Mislaid, Rejected,
Revisited: Cheo Chai-Hiang's Works 1972-2005
13 Oct 2005 to 4 Dec 2005
"Contemporary art has in fact reached a point where artists are prepared to
adopt anything as a medium to work with. What is important is the execution of
the art work but the idea behind it. The speculation about the nature of things
is sometimes more important that the rendering of actual appearances. An artist
should be able to deal with any kind of material and to transform it into
something that affects the spectator physically, intellectually and
emotionally."
Cheo, Chai-Hiang, Foreword to Modern Art Society Exhibition, 1974
Cheo Chai-Hiang is an artist, lecturer, writer and independent curator. His work
and thought, developed in Singapore, UK, Spain, Italy, Australia and China, has
expounded new interactions of identity, culture and place. As a practicing
artist, he covers a wide range of disciplines, including printmaking, drawing,
painting, sculpture, installation, performance and writing.
Since 1975 Cheo has held 18 solo shows in Singapore, Italy, Australia and China
and has also exhibited his work in important international exhibitions in
Australia, Germany and Italy. As a teacher, Cheo has held the position of senior
lecturer at the School of Contemporary Arts, University of Western Sydney. He
has also held the position of the curator of UWS university gallery and art
collection.
In February 2003. Cheo returned to live and work in Singapore. He has recently
completed a book project titled Re-Connecting, in which he has translated
selected writings by Liu Kang and Ho Ho Ying from Chinese to English on the
subject of Singapore art and art criticism. The translations are accompanied by
an introduction and ‘interjections’ by Cheo. This book is to be published in
2005. He has been commissioned to write and publish reviews and catalogue essays
in both the Chinese and English language.
He is currently working as a full-time artist and a part-time lecturer at the
National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University.
Art in Conversation with Technology
Session 1 (10.15 am - 12.15 pm)
Does technology enable artists to express their art better?
Margaret Tan, Wil-kie Tan, Lim Kok Boon (moderator), Cheo Chai-Hiang and Cecily
Briggs
Do artists engage technology in their works, a question of choice or trend?
Lee Sze-Chin, Paul Lincoln, Pwee Kheng Hock (moderator), John Low, Khiew Huey
Chian
Cecily Briggs is the partner of Cheo Chai Hiang. She is a painter, writer and
independent curator. She holds a BA in Fine Art, a Post-Graduate Diploma in
painting and a Masters Degree in Communication & Cultural Studies. She is
currently a Teaching Fellow at the Visual & Performing Arts, National Institute
of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
The Thirty-Six Strategies
The Thirty Six Strategies is an installation workshop and public lectures that
focus on a number of cross-cultural performance events. The installation will
involve the construction of a series of makeshift scaffolds that will interact
with the interior architectural features of the Casula Powerhouse and its
adjoining outdoor environment, including a small section of the Georges River
and the three tanks on the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre site.
The performance-events will involve the artist and members of the Singapore
Chinese Opera Institute, who in full traditional operatic dress, will travel and
'perform' on the train that enters and departs from the Casula Powerhouse.
Workshops will involve the artist and members of the Singapore Chines Opera
Institute presenting innovative cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary
activities.
Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre
2 June - 23 July
10.00 am - 4.00 pm, daily
1 Casula Rd Casula NSW
ph: (02) 9824 1121
fax: (02) 9821 4273
Cheo Chai-Hiang: Thoughts and Processes (Rethinking the
Singapore River)
by Sabapathy, T. K. & Cecily Briggs
Price: US$20.96 (S$35.00*)
Region: Singapore
Format: Paperback, 132 pages
Published: 2000, Singapore, 1st Edition
ISBN: 9810423470
SB#: 030107
About This Book
A detailed illustrated study of the influential innovative Singapore artist,
Cheo Chai-Hiang, whose work and thought, developed in Singapore, UK, Spain,
Italy, Australia and China, has expounded new interactions of identity, culture
and space.
New expression of Asian art
Nine Australian artists, seven of whom live in Asia, have been invited to ‘fly
the Australian flag’ amongst the Asian flags, to support the development of art
around the globe. Dr Lutz Presser, Colin Reaney, Cecily Briggs, Chai-Hiang Cheo,
Karee Dahl, Cassandra Schultz, Jane Gover, Samantha Rath, Carli Collins will
participate in the 2004 Tainan International Chihsi Arts Festival, – a major
arts festival organised by the Taiwan Government to encourage the interchange
between international art culture. New expression of Asian art exhibition 2004
will inspire creativity, encourage communication between artists from diverse
countries, and emphasise the significance of new country culture. Primarily an
Asian festival, Singapore-based Australian artist Chai-Hiang Cheo encouraged the
Tainan Cultural Committee to involve Australian art, specifically Australian
artists based in Asia. The invitation was considered an honour by the so-often
overlooked and marginalised groups of Australian expatriate artists. New
expression of Asian art exhibition 2004 is on at the Tainan Municipal Cultural
Centre in Taiwan, Republic of China, from 21 August to 5 September
"Towards a Critical Printmaking Practice"
A lecture by Cheo Chai-Hiang
Cheo Chai-Hiang, in conjunction with "PROOF 2004 - Printmaking Society
(Singapore) Annual Exhibition", will give an illustrated talk in which he will
discuss his thoughts and observations about printmaking practice.
Cheo is a Singapore-born artist, lecturer, writer, and independent curator. He
was appointed by the Printmaking Society (Singapore) as advisor for their annual
exhibition.
Date: Saturday, 17 July 2004
Time: 2:30pm
Venue: STPI Gallery
Free Admission
Sculpture Square & Friends: get intimate with art
8 Dec 2005 to 18 Dec 2005
The arts sale will feature artists-
Ahmad Osni Peii
Brian Gothong Tan
Baet Yeok Kuan
Cheo Chai-Hiang
Chng Nai Wee
Chua Boon Kee
Chia Chu Yia
Donna Ong
Han Sai Por
Jeremy Hiah
Lim Poh Teck
Lim Shing Ee
Michael Lee Hong Hwee
Matthew Ngui
Sun Yu-Li
Tay Bee Aye
Urich Lau
Victor Tan, and
Yeo Chee Kiong
