p IT’S THE JOURNEY, NOT
THE DESTINATION THE WORKS OF FAH-CHEONG CHONG BY KIM EE-CHONG
PAGE 31SUMMER 2011
WE’VE OFTEN HEARD THAT IT’S THE JOURNEY, NOT THE DESTINATION, WHICH IS IMPORTANT. IN A PERSON’S LIFE, IT IS THE MEMORIES AND EXPERIENCES GARNERED DURING THE JOURNEY WHICH SHAPE PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUALITY. WHEN THAT PERSON IS AN ARTIST, IT BECOMES HIS PARTICULAR FORTE TO RESPOND CREATIVELY TO THOSE EXPERIENCES CAPTURED DURING A JOURNEY; TOCONVEYTHATSENSEOFEXPLORATION AND WONDER IN NEW DISCOVERIES; TO RECORD IMPRESSIONS FELT AND MEMORIES REMEMBERED. HIS TOOLS OF EXPRESSION ARE THE MEDIA IN WHICH HE WORKS – PAINT AND INK, WOOD AND STONE, CLAY AND CLOTH.
In the case of sculptor Fah-Cheong Chong, wood, stone and metal are carved and moulded to express his life experiences. You glimpse a story in a pile of shoes arranged haphazardly on the steps outside a house. They point to what is going on inside – a large and noisy gathering, a celebration of Third Auntie’s birthday, an occasion for family festivities (Third Auntie’s Birthday, 1998, wood and bronze). Similarly, a deceptively simple wood carving of nine Chinese rice bowls with soup spoons in them, three extras stacked in the middle, epitomizes the laying of the dinner table in anticipation of supper (The Way We Are, 1998, red alder, bronze). Fah-Cheong’s family was very large; there were 13 siblings in all. Dinner was the time when everyone would come together to review the events of the day. The sculptor creates a piece from his own memories, but hints at the more universal themes of human relations and the gathering of family.
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