Chong stands in front of Malaysian artist Anurendra Jegadeva’s work, Yesterday in a Padded Room . PVC cushions with painted and painted canvas, painted thrones with perspex boxes painted inserts and LED lights, printed floor covering on wood.A decade ago, Han Chong—of the label Self-Portrait—made his first trip to Venice.
Over this past weekend, Chong returned to Venice to host a series of events in celebration of his Resort 2020 collection. A key component of his success has always been the loyalty of his influencer friends.
Earlier this year, Chong launched his new swimwear collection with a trip to his home country. “A lot of people aren’t familiar with Malaysia, but I lived half of my life there. It's what grounds me.” This year, the Malaysian Pavilion joined the Biennale through the efforts of the gallerist and curator Lim Wei-Ling, who petitioned the government to get it established. For its inaugural exhibition, she chose to feature four different artists: Zulkifli Yusoff, H. H.
When he was showing at the Biennale, Chong was also working for the English company Topshop, balancing dual identities as an artist and a clothing designer. But it was participating in one of the most prestigious events in the art world that cemented his decision to pursue the latter. “Art has such a strong power for commentary, but I still felt it wasn’t so accessible to everybody.”