Artist Biography

Foo Yong Kong was inspired by his high school art teacher, the renowned French-educated painter Le Chek Wen, who ignited his lifelong passion for painting. He furthered his studies at the Malaysian Institute of Art, where he learned ink painting and calligraphy under Professor Chung Chen Sun, graduating in 1970. During his studies, he won the grand prize at the All Malaysian Artists' Exhibition, and the first prize at the National Youth Week poster design competition (1968). In 2003, he received a Doctorate of Art Philosophy from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, USA.

Since the 1970s, Foo has been dedicated to exploring a fusion of Chinese and Western artistic styles, actively establishing his presence in the art world. In his early years, he held solo exhibitions at the Samad Art Gallery and Rusli Hashim Fine Art in Kuala Lumpur (1999). More recently, he presented a solo exhibition of modern calligraphy at the National Art Museum of China in 2005. His works have been exhibited in major cities worldwide, including Rome, Paris, Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo, Florence, Beijing, and Taipei, where he was also occasionally invited to deliver speeches and academic papers, enhancing his international profile and attracting a global base of collectors.

Notable group shows include: “Man & His World”, National Art Gallery Malaysia (1973); the 1st and 2nd Beijing International Calligraphy Biennale, National Art Museum of China (2005 & 2007); Art Expo Malaysia, MECC Kuala Lumpur (2012); the China-Malaysia Friendship Art Exchange Exhibition, Qingdao Art Museum (2013); “Brush and Ink East - International Exhibition of Chinese Calligraphy Art”, Chengdu, China (2013); calligraphy biennales held across Gwangju, Busan, and Jeollabuk-do in South Korea, including the “World Calligraphy Biennale of Jeollabuk-do” (2008-2015). He also participated in the ‘Nanyang Link with Huang-He Spirit Art Exhibition’, Singapore (2016); Singapore International Arts Festival (2018), “The 2nd Invitation of Beijing International Ink Painting Art Exhibition”, Beijing Sunshine International Art Museum (2019), where he won the Outstanding Figure Award.

Throughout his more than 50-year artistic career, Foo has received numerous accolades. In 2008, he won the Gold Medal at both the Asian Invitation Art Exhibition and the International Modern Calligraphy Biennale held in Seoul, South Korea. In 2022, he was awarded the "International Outstanding Artistic Contribution Award" by the Malaysian Modern & Contemporary Art Academy. He has also served as a judge for multiple calligraphy competitions and exhibitions. In 2015, his works were included in the books - “Wang Dongling's Writings on Contemporary Calligraphy” written by Wang Dongling, and “On Aesthetics of Calligraphy” written by Zhou Junjie. In 2018, his work was successfully sold at Poly’s Auction in Hong Kong.

Foo is currently the president of the Malaysia Contemporary Chinese Painting & Calligraphy Association, chairman of the Sim Mow Yu's Calligraphy Museum, visiting professor at Nanjing University of the Arts, visiting professor at the Art Research Institute of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, vice president of the Jiangsu Modern Calligraphy Research Institute, advisor of the Korean Calligraphy Art Academy, co-chairperson of the Overseas Chinese Calligraphers Association and chairman of its Malaysian branch, member of the Advisory Management Committee of the Chinese Calligraphy Stone Gallery, and art advisor of the Asian Artists Association Malaysia (AAFM).