Bumi Hangus

Wong Hoy Cheong (1960) was born in Penang, Malaysia and graduated with a degree in Literature and Fine Arts from Brandeis University, Massachusetts in 1982. He obtained a Masters in Education from Harvard University, in 1984, and his Masters in Fine Arts (Painting) from University of Massachusetts, in 1986. He makes art not for the sole purpose of self-purgation, but also to speak directly about human right issues that confront us: social conditions, poverty and exploitation. A versatile artist, Wong uses different medium create his artworks, expressing his views through them. This includes paintings, videos, installations and photography. '�Bumi Hangus'� is inspired by the same titled poem by Indonesian poet WS Rendra (1935-2009) which questions about life, death and love. Like Wong, Rendra was also outspoken about the injustice in politics and was even imprisoned in 1979 by Suharto�'s military intelligence. Translated as �'Scorched Earth'�, Wong surrounded the poem with the disposed in unnaturalistic colours, presenting the negativity and despair emitting from the poem.