ABSTRACT
Malaysian artist Wong Hoy Cheong first came to prominence in the international contemporary art scene in the early 1990s. His international fame coincided with a more general turn of international interest in contemporary Asian art which saw his art become enmeshed in a broader politics of cultural representation in the global art arena, his art often standing for Malaysia and Malaysian art interests. Wong is now regarded as a highly successful artist and has exhibited in numerous international exhibitions of prestigious reputation, including the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (1996), ‘Cities on the Move’ (1997-99), the Fukuoka Asian Art Triennial (1999), the Gwangju Biennale (2000), ARS 01 (2001), and the 50th Venice Biennale (2003). Ironically, it was only in 2004, after establishing his international reputation, that Wong was given his first major solo exhibition at home, at the National Art Gallery of Malaysia. Explaining their motivations for this solo exhibition, the Malaysian curators emphasized the fact that while Wong had ‘gained considerable recognition well beyond [Malaysia’s] borders, and while his art [had] been widely exhibited in the international arena, many of his works [had] never been shown before to the Malaysian public, for [their] scrutiny and [their] response’ (Balai Seni Lukis Negara 2004: 4).
