Salt of the Land

‘Salt of the Land’, Cheng Yen Pheng’s fourth solo exhibition, takes its name from the phrase “salt of the earth,” which suggests humility and resilience. In Chinese culture, salt is one of the seven basic daily necessities, alongside firewood, rice, oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. A grouping that dates back to the Song dynasty. The Guanzi, an early text on governance, illustrates the importance of salt, describing it as both vital sustenance and a means of maintaining social order that connects the household to the state.

The exhibition at Wei-Ling Gallery gently shifts away from her earlier series, ‘Frugal Living – it’s Mulberry Season’ (2022), which focused on daily rituals, her daughter’s drawings, hand-stitched embroidery, and the mulberry trees she grew at home. This time, she looks beyond her doorstep, exploring the natural forces and fragile ecosystems that shape the world outside.

In this series, salt functions as a subtle symbol of continuity. Cheng engages with the four classical elements: water, fire, earth, and air. Each stage reveals a deliberate, attentive approach, reflecting the artist’s ongoing relationship with her materials. Water becomes pulp for handmade paper. Fire and wormwood ash purify and stabilise materials. Earth, mixed with plant fibers, is shaped into bricks. Air aids in drying paper and lifting feathers.

Cheng produced these works in Batu Arang, Selangor, a former mining town that continues to exhibit evidence of its industrial history while confronting land repossession. In response to these conditions, the artist cultivates materials in her garden, thereby integrating acts of care into her artistic practice. The evolving environment and the community’s adaptation directly inform her creative process.

By sourcing materials from her immediate surroundings, the artist foregrounds traditional craft techniques and situates them within a contemporary context. The use of pulp, clay, ash, and fiber demonstrates the transmission of artisanal knowledge and the preservation of cultural memory. For her, continuity signifies renewal, a living link between the past and what is still to come.

‘Salt of the Land’ is featured at Wei-Ling Gallery from 9 October – 8 November 2025. Wei-Ling Gallery is located at No 8, Jalan Scott, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Admission hours are Tuesday – Friday 10am – 6pm, Saturday 10am – 5pm. Exhibition is open by appointment only. For appointments and further assistance, please contact +60322601106 or e-mail siewboon@weiling-gallery.com

ABOUT THE ARTIST
CHENG YEN PHENG (B. 1982)

Cheng Yen Pheng, born in Penang, now lives and works in Selangor. Having graduated from Dasein Academy of Art with a Diploma in Fine Arts in 2004, Cheng’s works are deeply personal and autobiographical, reflecting the struggles and decisions that have shaped her life. Her art examines the process of reconciling conflicting realities, overcoming loss, and navigating the unknown, while remaining steadfast in her beliefs. Despite life’s uncertainties, her determination to stay true to herself and her principles remains a constant throughout her journey. This commitment to authenticity is mirrored in the powerful and intimate nature of her art, which captures her emotional and personal experiences.

Recognised as one of Malaysia’s most daring contemporary voices, Cheng made a significant impact in 2014 when her provocative work ‘ABU’ was censored as a finalist in the National Art Gallery’s Bakat Muda competition—a moment that underscored her boldness and refusal to compromise her vision. She was awarded the 2019 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) and received the 2020 CENDANA Visual Arts Inspire Funding, which supported her research into local arts, crafts, and communities in Terengganu. In 2023, she was selected for the prestigious UOB-Fukuoka Asian Art Museum’s Artists Residency Programme.

Her art serves as a visual narration of her life, with the act of making becoming a means of organising, materialising, and preserving experience. Through themes such as femininity, maternity, motherhood, death, and the shift from urban to rural life, Cheng reflects on her personal transformation; capturing both its joys and hardships. Her thoughtful use of materials and textures enhances this emotional landscape, with each medium chosen to express different facets of her identity and journey.

Cheng Yen Pheng’s exhibitions, such as ‘PRICKED!’ in 2012 and ‘It’s Been Four Years Since…’ in 2020, continue to explore themes of identity, gender, and societal expectations. In the ‘PRICKED!’ series, she used balloons as symbols of gender and sex to examine the fluidity of identity and the challenges of societal norms, especially from the perspective of a woman seeking empowerment. Her 2020 exhibition marked a transformative period, with her work addressing her personal struggles, the complexities of motherhood, and the search for self-discovery. In ‘Frugal Living – it’s Mulberry Season’ (2022), she explores resilience through the act of stitching, using mulberry paper as a symbol of fragility. This series reflects her journey from city life to the countryside, capturing personal growth and the challenges of transitioning into a more sustainable, nature-based lifestyle.