John Clang


John Clang, born Ang Choon Leng, is a Singaporean visual artist whose work encompasses photography, film, and metaphysical performance. His practice explores themes of time, identity, interiority, and diaspora, often blurring the line between documentation and conceptual inquiry.
Clang’s work has been exhibited at art institutions and major platforms including the Centre for Contemporary Culture Strozzina,Deichtorhallen Hamburg, the National Museum of Singapore, the Pera Museum, the Singapore Art Museum, and Sharjah Biennial
He divides his time between Singapore and New York.
WWW johnclang.com

Early years

Clang was born Ang Choon Leng in Singapore. He earned his nickname while in National Service in Singapore as his badge read "C L Ang". At the age of 17, he enrolled in Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore to study fine arts but left after six months to assist the fine-art photographer Chua Soo Bin, who received the Cultural Medallion in 1988.

Work

Reading by an Artist is a participatory performance series that reimagines portraiture through metaphysical dialogue. Evolving from his earlier interest in technological intimacy, the project uses the ancient Chinese divination system Ziwei doushu to create portraits through conversation and self-reflection, rather than photography.
The work has been presented at art venues including Objectifs and FOST Gallery in Singapore, the National Gallery Singapore, and Sharjah Biennial in the United Arab Emirates.
In 2025, Clang was listed by Artnet as one of "5 Artists to Know" in their article on Sharjah Biennial 16.
The Land of My Heart is a series of work which re-appropriates the icon of the Singapore Girl, Singapore Airlines' air stewardess, to contemplate vestiges of identity and personal memories encapsulated in nostalgic spaces of a rapidly evolving motherland.
Being Together is a series of family portraits using Skype VoIP technology to do live recording of family members and project them across continents.
Clang started on the series by photographing his own family in 2010. From 2010 to 2012, he located Singaporeans around the world and travelled to cities such as London, Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Los Angeles and Seattle to photograph them with their families in Singapore. These 40 family portraits were part of a showcase of over 90 works by Clang exhibited at the National Museum of Singapore in January 2013, together with more than 40 historical family portraits from the museum's collection.
Time is a series that involves recording a location, to show the passing of time in a montage style.

Films

In 2018, his first feature film, Their Remaining Journey, had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and was nominated for the Bright Future Award. It was also the opening film for Painting with Light: Festival of International Films on Art at National Gallery Singapore.
Clang's second feature, A Love Unknown, also screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. It was selected as the opening film for the Singapore International Festival of Arts. However, the screening was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
His third feature, Absent Smile, co-directed with Lavender Chang, was presented at the 33rd Singapore International Film Festival in 2022.

Exhibitions

Selected solo exhibitions

Selected group exhibitions

Awards

On 19 November 2010, John Clang became the first photographer in Singapore to receive the Designer of the Year award at the annual President's Design Award, the most prestigious design accolade in Singapore.