Chang Yoong Chia (b. 1975, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) graduated from the Malaysian Institute ofArt in 1996 with a Diploma of Fine Art in painting. Since then, he has participated in numerous exhibitions in Malaysia and abroad. Chia’s works, ranging from Surrealist-inspired paintings, laboriously crafted collages, paper sculptures to painted shells explore wide-ranging topics such as politics, religion, and culture.
The repeated gestures and complex methods reflect a commitment with craft in which the labor adds another layer of meaning to the work. Placing an importance on the media, he believes that each medium has its own characteristics, malleability and symbolism thus new interpretations are conjured when finding or mundane objects such as postage stamps and seashells are transformed in an almost alchemical fashion into intricate artworks.
