Playful Visionary Of Malaysian Contemporary Art: chi too Dies At 44
His projects often explored the boundaries between personal experience and broader social commentary, as well as the relationship between art and public space.
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Malaysian contemporary artist chi too, known for his playful, multidisciplinary approach to art, has died at the age of 44.
According to a close source, the Kuala Lumpur–born artist was found dead early Saturday morning (7 March) at his home studio in Kuala Terengganu. Tributes from artists, curators and cultural institutions quickly appeared on social media, with many describing him as a distinctive and influential voice in Malaysia’s contemporary art scene.
He was born in Kuala Lumpur in October 1981. Over the course of his career, chi too became known for an eclectic practice that crossed mediums including painting, film, performance, installation, sound, and text.
The lowercase spelling of his name? Intentional. He emerged in the late 2000s as part of a new generation of Malaysian contemporary artists.
A multidisciplinary and self-taught artist
A self-taught artist with an academic background in mass communication and sound engineering, chi too’s work frequently blended humour, satire and poetic reflection on everyday life. His projects often explored the boundaries between personal experience and broader social commentary, as well as the relationship between art and public space.
His practice extended beyond conventional gallery exhibitions. Through experimental performances, music collaborations and public art projects, he engaged directly with audiences in urban environments.
Among his notable initiatives were self-organised projects such as Main Dengan Rakyat, Everything’s Gonna Be Alright and Lepark, which reflected his interest in participatory art and community interaction.
Chi too was also involved in collaborative creative communities, including the now-disbanded art collective The Best Art Show in the Univers, and exhibited in numerous group shows and festivals in Malaysia and abroad.
Exhibitions and artistic highlights
Over the years, his works appeared in galleries, independent art spaces and international exhibitions. His art often shifted between conceptual experimentation and simple visual elements such as lines, monochrome palettes and spatial compositions.
One of his later exhibitions, A Sea of Despair and Delight (2023), featured a series of paintings scaled to his own height and arm span. The works gradually transformed from dark backgrounds into canvases almost entirely covered in white paint, reflecting his interest in minimal gestures and process-based experimentation.
Chi too also participated in major regional events such as the Singapore Biennale and other international exhibitions in Southeast Asia and Japan. He was awarded the Asian Public Intellectuals Fellowship from the Nippon Foundation in 2011 and 2012.
Friends and colleagues have described chi too as an artist who blurred the boundaries between art and life, often bringing humour and curiosity into his creative practice. His work ranged from intimate reflections on daily routines to broader questions about culture, identity and public space.
Although his career was cut short, chi too leaves behind a body of work that helped shape conversations around contemporary art in Malaysia and the region.
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