Born in 1946 in Singapore, Chong Fah Cheong is regarded as one of Singapore’s pioneer sculptors. A teacher by training, Chong is a graduate from the University of Singapore, and has a Diploma in Curriculum Studies in Art and Design from the City of Birmingham Polytechnic, United Kingdom. He taught art in Singapore schools before becoming a professional artist in 1978. In 1989, Chong moved to Canada where he currently lives and works but makes regular trips back to Singapore to engage with the local art scene and participate in exhibitions.‘Young Buddha’ comments on the struggle of Singapore youths in their search for the inner self. Made up of two different kinds of wood, the faces are connected with wires, signifying the transformation of the youth to an ‘enlightened’ being with buttons on its forehead. Chong feels that the lives of Singapore youths are too highly ‘programmed’ (hence the buttons), moving robotically from one phase to the next. This rigid process conflicts with Chong’s ideal that the search for one’s destiny cannot be programmed.
