Wong Chee Meng (b.1974)
B. 1975, Perak, Malaysia
Lives and works in Selangor, Malaysia
Wong Chee Meng’s view on the world is skewed by the blurring of lines and double images-the result of an accident that left him with permanent damage to his vision. Playing on the way he sees things, in multiple layers, sometimes crossing over and overlapping, his works are complex and multi-faceted. By meticulously painting layer upon layer of images, he camouflages many stories and hidden vistas, creating harmonious compositions that reveal deeper references, as we focus and look beyond the surface.
Wong Chee Meng’s interest lies in the investigation of image-making through additive and subtractive transformation. He weaves random objects and subjects into intricate forms that are seemingly there, but fade into an absolution of colour chains. To him, art has a strange presence in our daily lives; it occurs anytime and anywhere. Through his paintings, which are often combined with techniques such as paper cut and stencil, he responds to social issues and cultural interventions that play on his subconscious, urging him to question and ponder their significance. Drawing on traditional symbolism, and subjects gleaned from fables of yore, he crystalizes his irreverent position and stance on the subject.
Through his exhibition ‘Good Days Will Come’ (2020), Wong Chee Meng worked with familiar visual elements including Chinese homophones, hidden numbers, lucky phrases and charms: iconic symbols found in Chinese culture, believed to carry positive energies and blessings. Hiding key elements within his paintings’ multiple layers, the artist invites the audience to slowly reveal them. He was inspired by the science of optical illusion in applying the “anaglyph 3D” effect to his paintings, achieved by encoding one image to one coloured filter. The result is a painting that reveals three different images, as seen through a red-tinted filter, cyan-tinted filter, or without a filter.
His 2017 exhibition, ‘Have You Ever’, featured seven paintings, each depicting a familiar scene from everyday life yet fraught with deep underlying symbolism and meaning. In this series, beach balls – caught in mid-air or placed on higher planes, as they are tossed up and juggled – act as metaphors for new perceptions, actions, willingness, optimism and opportunities in life.
‘Rasa Sayang’ (2023) by Wong Chee Meng, which took inspiration from the titular Malay folk song, was an innovative body of work representing unity and love. His works explored the experiences of living in a multicultural environment and aimed to restore love and positivity towards forging a “new” Malaysia while showcasing his unique exploration of cultural perception and artistic expression. Transcending traditional boundaries and flawlessly incorporating augmented reality (AR) components, ‘Rasa Sayang’ featured animations that came to life when scanned from a mobile app. Chee Meng showcased the integration of art and technology that not only propelled modern art forward but also developed a reinvigorated sense of national identity amidst the changing terrain of the “new” Malaysia.
Active as an artist since 1996, Wong Chee Meng has been represented on numerous local and international art platforms. His work can be labelled as Contemporary Pop with a focus on Social Realism. He was selected as the artist in residence at the Mali Hom Residency in Penang in 2007 and represented Malaysia at an exposition of Malaysian art in Havana Cuba in 2006. His works have been widely collected by both private and public institutions and can be seen in the collections of Axiata, Rimbun Dahan, ABN Amro Bank, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Visual Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.