Keng Sen Chong

2017‒2018 Artist: Keng Sen Chong

About

OMSC’s artist-in-residence for 2017-2018, Keng Sen Chong, is the pastor of Hope Evangelical Free Church (Chinese) and a visual artist who is sharing his passion of heightening humanity’s spirituality through his art. Keng Sen believes all of life is spiritual with implications for all human situations and conditions, and it is his conviction that he — and everyone — is made in God’s image. Therefore, it is axiomatic that this created image should reflect, to various degrees, the creative attributes of the Creator. To him, art-making is both a doxological act – a spiritual act of worship – and a ministering act – the sharing of a life

“I want my art to bring out the ‘spiritual man’ that is rooted in the divine — over and against the unfortunate, blinding, pursuit of material things. I feel an urgency to heighten this spirituality which is unique to the human race; we are caught up in a materialistic-driven environment, and it is imperative therefore both as an artist and a biblically-informed Christian to dwell on this particular subject. Most of today’s critical issues can only be addressed by a renewal of our spiritual consciousness rooted in the Biblical paradigm.”
— Keng Sen Chong

He has a passion for networking with other Christian artists, and exploring ways to help the local Christian community understand the significance of the arts and he uses every opportunity to teach in local seminaries and to share at conferences his passion for this subject. In 2009, he took up the offer to curate the Malaysian International Artists Show (MICAS09), in which artists from 11 countries participated.

In 2010 he was tasked with the preparation of an exhibition in conjunction with the 2010 Christian Conference of Asia assembly, which is held every five years. The exhibition featured Malaysian Christian artists from the Unity Art Fellowship (AUF), of which he was the advisor. He is also the Malaysian coordinator for BuildaBridge International, where he uses art camps as a means to reach out to the refugee children. BuildaBridge International is a Philadelphia-based non-profit art education and intervention organisation that engages the transformative power of the arts to bring hope and healing to societies in need.