Heman Chong (Malaysia, 1977) is an artist whose work is located at the intersection between image, performance, situations and writing. His practice can be read as an imagining, interrogation and sometimes intervention into infrastructure as an everyday medium of politics. He received his Masters in Communication Art & Design from The Royal College of Art, London in 2002.
His solo exhibitions include: Spirts in the Material World (Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2019); fikitionfiktionfiktion (Weserburg Museum, Bremen, 2019). Legal Bookshop (Swiss Institute New York, USA, 2018); Never is a Promise (Calle Wright, Manila, Philippines, 2018); Because, the Night (72-13, Singapore, 2017); Ifs, Ands, Or Buts (Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai, China, 2016); An Arm, A Leg and Other Stories (South London Gallery, london, England, 2015); Never, a Dull Moment (Art Sonje Center, Seoul, Korea, 2015); Correspondence(s) (P!, New York, USA, 2014); Calendars (2020–2096) (NUS Museum, Singapore, 2011); Common People and Other Stories (Art in General, New York, USA, 2007); The Sole Proprietor and Other Stories (Vitamin Creative Space, Guangzhou , China, 2007); Vexillogy, Cartography and Other Stories (Ellen de Bruijne Projects, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2005); Snore louder if you can (The Substation, Singapore, 2004); and The Silver Sessions (Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany, 2003).
In 2006, he developed a writing workshop with Leif Magne Tangen at Project Arts Center in Dublin where they co-authored PHILIP (2007), a science fiction novel with Mark Aerial Waller, Cosmin Costinas, Rosemary Heather, Francis McKee, David Reinfurt and Steve Rushton.
Between 2012 and 2014, Chong produced Moderation(s), a third space that exists between Witte de With Contemporary Art in Rotterdam, Netherlands and Spring Workshop in Hong Kong, China which involved more than 50 artists and comprised a conference, three exhibitions, three residencies and a book of short stories.
Chong is the co-director and founder (with Renée Staal) of The Library of Unread Books which has been hosted by the NTU Center for Contemporary Art, Singapore; The Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD), Manila; Casco, Utrecht; Kunstverein Milano, Milan; Jameel Arts Center, Dubai; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam and MOT (Museum of Contemporary Art), Tokyo.
His work is included in the public collections of Art Sonje Center, Kadist Art Foundation, M+ Museum, The National Museum of Art Osaka, NUS Museum, Rockbund Art Museum, Singapore Art Museum and Weserburg Museum.