︎



on the bark and the needles of pine and fir trees,  
Chong Yan Chuah 蔡崇彦
b. 1992, Selangor, Malaysia
Working in between London & Kuala Lumpur

Sino-Malaysian artist, architect and designer Chong Yan Chuah works primarily in the mediums of the digital image, game art, and installation art, his works positioned in the interstices between virtual reality and simulated space, fictive narratives and imagined bodies. 

Chong Yan studied architecture at Newcastle University (ARB/RIBA Part I), and then at the Architectural Association (AA) in London (ARB/RIBA Part II), receiving the 2014 RIBA President’s Medals nomination and AA Scholarship. He has worked extensively with Make Architects in London on competition projects all over the world, contributing to the development of 3D images, cinematics and real-time experiences. Co-founding Inferstudio in 2017-18 alongside Nathan Su and Bethany Edgoose, he later directed Somnii, an art direction, digital imagination and research studio. Beyond studio work, he has participated in architecture conferences hosted by DATUM:KL and Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM), advocating for a broader perspective on worldbuilding that transcends traditional architectural frameworks. As an artist, his works have been exhibited and collected internationally. He has exhibited at Royal Academy of Arts, Royal Institute of British Architects, NTU ADM Gallery Singapore, National Museum of Singapore, NOVA.The Staatliches Bauhaus, Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM), ArtScience Museum Singapore, National Art Gallery Malaysia, and Ilham Gallery. His past work include, 27 Years of Lazarian Delights, FAC3D and Aequus.


“I tend to use numbers, dimensions to build my fictional world. Everything has a certain value and is quantifiable. That contributes to the gestures that I introduce in my universe: zooming, scaling, multiplying.” The iconography of my cosmos is likewise cryptic, with the prevalence of circles - in the form of round lights and metal studs - a private reference to new beginnings, while evidence of an idiosyncratic script is derived from a language that I created for my universe. “Bodies and terrain are as confrontational as they are ontologically slippery, corporeal entities populating a landscape that is as alien as its inhabitants.”
HYPERLINK
Somnii
 Showreel
Inferstudio
 Instagram
 Vimeo

REPRESENTATION
Art
  • Reach Out.* 

Creative & Post Production

For all enquires please contact:
chongyanchuah@somnii.co

Media – please find my press pack, including Artist Profile, Artist Photo, Selected Works, here.
EPK (Electronic Press Kit)

For interview, please first contact: press@somnii.co

Video on this site is hosted via vimeo. On countries restriction, reach out with a request.

︎ CURRICULUM VITAE

EDUCATION

    • 2015-17 / AA Dipl. in Architecture, Architectural Association School of Architecture, London, UK – [RIBA/ARB Part II].
    • 2011-14 / BA (Hons) Architecture, Newcastle University, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK – [RIBA/ARB Part I].


EMPLOYMENT

    • Current / Founder, Somnii.
    • 2017-18 / Partner, Make Architects, London, United Kingdom.
    • 2017-18 / Co-Founder, Inferstudio, London, United Kingdom.
    • 2014-15 / Partner, Make Architects, London, United Kingdom.
    • 2013-13 / Design Assistant, ACID Avalon Collective Interior Design, Singapore.


AWARDS/HIGHLIGHTS

    • 2024 / Finalist, Han Nefkens Foundation – LOOP Barcelona.
    • 2023 / Recipient,  Maybank Foundation Artist Fellowship Programme, Chan + Hori Contemporary. 
    • 2022 / Recipient,  Augustman Men of the Year Award, “In Recognition in the Realm of Arts.”
    • 2021 / Finalist, Julius Baer Next Generation Art Prize.
    • 2021 / Finalist, ASM ArtScience Prize, Academy of Sciences Malaysia.
    • 2017 / High Pass, Deconstructing Somnia XYZ-G – AA TS05 Technical Thesis.
    • 2017 / Honourable Mention, Aisha’s Asylum – Blank Space Fairytales.
    • 2015 / Scholarship Award, Architectural Association School of Architecture.
    • 2014 / Nominee, RIBA President’s Medals (Bronze Medal) – Newcastle University.
    • 2011 / Recipient, Undergraduate Merit Scholarship Award, Newcastle University.


SELECTED EXHIBIT/SCREENING

    • 2024 / [ Earth Chamber ] GalileOasis + DECOMMUNE, Bangkok.
    • 2024 / [ Artist Night: Doyenne Books x Current Plans ] Current Plans, Art Space. Hong Kong.
    • 2024 / [ ASD*ASD Algorithmic Societal Disorder ] Hin Bus Depot Annexe - Georgetown. Penang, Malaysia.
    • 2024 / [ fffluid apparatus ] ASEAN- Republic of Korea.(KOFICE) (MCST), Rumah Tangsi. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    • 2024 / [ MOON_near_VENUS ] Doyenne + Ormside Projects. London, United Kingdom.
    • 2024 / [ In the Ether - A Festival of Technology and Innovation ] ArtScience Museum. Singapore.
    • 2024 / [ Platform Chaos ] The Academy of Fine Arts and Design. Katowice, Poland.
    • 2024 / [ Chaos in the C✷smic ] TWMT. Chan Hori Contemporary + Maybank Foundation. Maybank Tower. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    • 2024 / [ Luópán_羅盤.exe ] RANTAU IMT-GT, National Art Gallery, Lembaga Pembangunan Seni Visual Negara (LPSVN). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    • 2024 / [ NOT JUST IN BLACK AND WHITE ] Works from the Steve Wong Art Collection. GDP Campus, Malaysia.
    • 2024 / [ UVNT Public Art Program x LEXUS ] Matadero Square. Madrid, Spain.
    • 2024 / [ Digital Art x JCDECAUX ] 100 JCDecaux digital marquees. Madrid, Spain.
    • 2024 / [ There will be Dr@g0ns in my Future Dreams ] HARTA Gallery, Habib. Ampang, Malaysia.

    • 2023 / [ A SPOTLIGHT ON DIGITAL DESIGN ] Baesianz & Lucy Hardcastle. Greenwich Design District. NOW Gallery. London, England.
    • 2023 / [ TOWKAY’S HORIZON ] Immersio 2023, YayasanTM, Muzium Telekom. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    • 2023 / [ SWALLOW & SPIT ] “Constellation Aequus” A+ Works of Art, Sentul. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    • 2023 / [ OPEN HOUSE ] “BLOODY MEMORIES” HARTA Gallery, Habib. Ampang, Malaysia.
    • 2023 / [ LIFE PROFUSION ] “Singapore International Festival of the Arts.” Singapore.
    • 2023 / [ Luxeverse 2023 ] The Upside Space, Colab Cloud by Ritika Kothari, Museum of The Future. Dubai, UAE.
    • 2023 / [ GENERATING/ITERATING ] TUS, Gillman Barracks, 7 Lock Road. Singapore.

    • 2022 / [ GENDER BENDER TIME TRAVELLER ] LSD Erotikmarkt. Kurfürstenstraße 151, 10785. Berlin, Germany.
    • 2022 / [ ILHAM Art Show 2022 ] AEQUUS, Ilham Gallery. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    • 2022 / [ INFORMATION WANTS TO BE FREE? ] OUR “BUTTERFLY DREAMS”, NTU ADM Gallery, Singapore.
    • 2022 / [ NOT FOR SALE ] FRAGMENTS OF SOMNIA XYZ-G, Singapore Art Week 2022. Singapore.

    • 2021 / [ Julius Baer Next Generation Art Prize ] Finalists. Virtual exhibition microsite.
    • 2021 / [ FAC3D. What if we kissed at the intersection between Art, Writing, and Technology? ] The Backroom KL, The Zhongshan Building. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    • 2021 / [ 27 Years of Lazarian Delights ] The Backroom KL, The Zhongshan Building. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    • 2021 / [ 27 Years of Lazarian Delights ] Alangkah ASM Artscience Virtual Exhibition, Maybank Foundation.
    • 2021 / [ NEW WEAVE ] The Poisoned Beast of Dead Looms. Chan + Hori Contemporary / The Unusual Network. Artisan Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
    • 2021 / [ FAC3D. What if we kissed at the intersection between Art, Writing, and Technology? ] The Backroom, The Zhongshan Building, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    • 2021 / [ NEW WEAVE ] The Poisoned Beast of Dead Looms. Maybank Foundation / Chan + Hori Contemporary / The Unusual Network. National Museum of Singapore. Singapore.

    • 2020 / [ The Foot Beneath the Flower: Camp. Kitsch. Art. Southeast Asia ] ADM Gallery, Nanyang Technological University. Singapore.
    • 2020 / [ Bodycathexis ] Wonderwall, The Backroom KL, The Zhongshan Building. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    • 2020 / [ Kyphosis ] The Backroom KL, The Zhongshan Building. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    • 2020 / [ Fragments of Lazarian Delights ] ZARCH gallery space. Sinagpore Art Week. Singapore.
    • 2020 / [ 27 Years of Lazarian Delights ] The Backroom KL, The Zhongshan Building. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    • 2019 / [ Fragments of Lazarian Delights ] Bizarre Xmas Festival, Eko Cheras Mall. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    • 2019 / [ Fragments of Lazarian Delights ] Urbanscape, Immersio. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    • 2019 / [ Fragments of Lazarian Delights ] Parallel Screens, Hermes Artes Visuais. Sao Paulo, Brasil.
    • 2019 / [ Fragments of Lazarian Delights ] Parallel Screens, Nova, Berkaer Str.11. Weimar, Germany.
    • 2019 / [ Fragments of Lazarian Delights ] Parallel Screens, 1805 Gallery, San Diego. California, USA.
    • 2019 / [ Fragments of Lazarian Delights ] Parallel Screens, Porto Vista Hotel, San Diego. California, USA.
    • 2019 / [ The Under Belly of Mr. Kupa ] 251st RA Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts. London, United Kingdom.
    • 2019 / [ Noise Giffest 2019 ] Lion-Head, Blk 7 Lock Road, Gillman Barracks. Singapore.

    • 2018 / [ RIBA Eye Line 2018 ] The Riba Journal. Royal Institute of British Architects. 66 Portland Pl. London, United Kingdom.
    • 2018 / [ 250th RA Summer Exhibition ] Luyong-Poli , Royal Academy of Arts. London, United Kingdom.
    • 2017 / [ 27 Years of Lazarian Delights ] Architectural Association Summer Exhibition, 36 Bedford Square. London, United Kingdom.
    • 2017 / [ Aisha’s Asylum ] Archdialy, 2017 Fairy Tales Competition. United Kingdom.
    • 2017 / [ The Island of ‘Made-In’ ] 14th Kinofilm International Short Film Festival. Manchester, United Kingdom.
    • 2017 / [ The Island of ‘Made-In’ ] Frostbite International Film Festival, Finalist, Colorado Springs. Colorado, USA.
    • 2016 / [ The Island of ‘Made-In’ ] Architectural Association Summer Exhibition, 36 Bedford Square. London, United Kingdom.
    • 2016 / [ Eflorescence ] SHOWstudio, QIC Global Real Estate, Fashion Film Award Submissions. London, United Kingdom.
    • 2015 / [ Beauty in Grotesque ] The RIBA President’s Medals. United Kingdom & International tour.
    • 2015 / [ RIBA President’s Medal ] The Practice Space, Royal Institute of British Architects. 66 Portland Pl. London, United Kingdom.
    • 2014 / [ Beauty in Grotesque ] Architecture Degree Show, Newcastle University. Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
    • 2014 / [ Beauty in Grotesque ] Clerkenwell Gallery, The Crypt on the Green. London, United Kingdom.

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