In conversation with Pauline J. Yao and Heman Chong

Описание: Singapore Art Museum (SAM) recently hosted a special, in-depth talk titled "In Conversation with Pauline J. Yao and Heman Chong," delving into the artist's practice. This insightful programme featured artist Heman Chong and Pauline J. Yao, an independent curator and writer based in Hong Kong.

During their discussion, Pauline shared her extensive knowledge and long-standing familiarity with Chong's body of work. Their unique connection, built over 16 years of friendship, added a rich depth to the conversation. Pauline is also a valued contributor to Chong's accompanying publication, where her essay "A Million Ways to Remember the Forgetting" is featured.
This programme was presented in conjunction with the exhibition and publication, 𝘏𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘨: 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. To learn more about the exhibition, please visit bit.ly/heman-chong.

[𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀]
Pauline J. Yao is an independent curator and writer based in Hong Kong. From 2017 to 2024 she was Lead Curator (Visual Art) at M+. Since joining the M+ curatorial team in 2012, Yao played an integral role in building the museum’s collection and acquiring works of art from East Asia, Southeast Asia and internationally. She curated the first display of the visual art collection exhibition Individuals, Networks, Expressions and Antony Gormley: Asian Field, both on view at the grand opening of M+ in 2021. Other exhibitions include In Search of Southeast Asia through the M+ Collections (with Shirley Surya, 2018) and Five Artists: Sites Encountered (2019), both presented at the M+ Pavilion. From 2008–2019, Yao helped run Arrow Factory, an independent art space in Beijing. She is a regular contributor to Artforum International and has published widely on contemporary Asian art in various catalogues, online publications and edited volumes.

Heman Chong is an artist whose work is located at the intersection between image, performance, situations and writing. Characterised by acerbic wit, Chong’s art addresses contemporary geopolitics and the infrastructural ironies of our data-driven and networked society. His practice can be read as an imagining, interrogation and sometimes intervention into infrastructure as an everyday medium of politics. His work has been the subject of institutional solo exhibitions at Singapore Art Museum, UCCA Dune, STPI, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Weserburg Museum, Jameel Arts Center, Swiss Institute New York, Art in General, Artsonje Center, Rockbund Art Museum, South London Gallery, and NUS Museum, amongst many others. Chong is the co-director and founder (with Renée Staal) of The Library of Unread Books, a library made up of donated books previously unread by their owners. It was recently installed in the Serpentine Pavilion 2024, designed by Minsuk Cho and in 2025, installed for the summer at MOT, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.