Hong Sek Chern

Hong Sek Chern graduated with a Diploma in Fine Art in 1995. She went on to complete her Master of Arts in Fine Art from Goldsmiths College at the University of London in 1998, and Masters of Arts in South East Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore in 2004.

A highly acclaimed and award-winning artist, Sek Chern is well-known for her stylistic interpretations of Singapore’s urban landscapes in traditional Chinese ink.

She has won several accolades, including:

• Gold Award, UOB Painting of the Year, 2014
• Grand Prize, UOB Painting of the Year, 2007
• First Prize (Representational Category) UOB Painting of the Year, 1997 & 2006
• Juror’s Choice, Singapore Art Awards by the Philip Morris Group of Companies, 1996, 1998 & 1999
• Top Prize, Philippe Charriol Foundation Contemporary Art Competition, 1996
• Chen Chong Swee Overseas Art Scholarship, Chen Chong Swee Foundation and National Arts Council, 1995

In 2000, she was conferred the coveted Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council for her achievements in the visual arts.

Sek Chern has held eight solo exhibitions in Singapore and participated in numerous group exhibitions held locally and overseas. In 2002, she represented Singapore and exhibited her works at the 25th Sao Paulo Biennale in Brazil. Her most recent solo exhibition More space: Works by Hong Sek Chern was presented at NAFA in September 2017. Sek Chern’s works are collected by many corporations, museums and private collectors.

Sek Chern began teaching full-time at NAFA’s Fine Art Department in 1999. In 2001, she was appointed Deputy Head of Fine Art till 2003, and subsequently Head of Fine Art Department from 2004 to 2007. She then took a hiatus from teaching at NAFA to pursue her professional practice and resumed part-time teaching at NAFA in 2017.