For our final episode of our first season this year, we have 2 artists who are both architecturally trained but have gone into the realms of digital art. The topic today has been called De/Re:Materialization; the abstraction of a physical object into a digital idea and rematerialized into a tangible outcome again. This process of abstraction has resulted into artworks that transcends medium.

Chong Yan Chuah was first introduced to me by Jun as the NFT boy genius. Hailing from the AA, he Co-founded Inferstudio in 2017 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.

Wong Kaiyi was trained in the UK in architecture and has worked for Studio Red Hongyi and our very own POW Ideas. He founded Unreality as a platform to explore story telling through a multitude of mediums. I have personally seen the growth of his works from simple digital artworks to large scaled physically lighting installations that cover rooftops.

With similar trainings it has been interesting to see these artist get inspired by Malaysia’s rich culture. So lets start the session and learn about their works and who they are.