Cherish Tong


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Cherish Tong (b. 2002), born and based in Singapore, is an emerging artist currently pursuing her education in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Fine Art programme. In her practice of artmaking, Cherish creates works that are immersed in nature, creating works that reflect profound beauty and complexity. Working with mixed media, installations, paintings, photography and film. As well as a spectrum of collaborations: a group exhibition, “Recount-1”, in collaboration with artist Andre Weschler, Future Landscapes by NAFA x Victoria College of the Arts, and a collaborative mural artwork commisioned by National Library Board in 2023. She had worked at First Sight International under Gallery 1819 and Livingwithart Singapore as well as PLUS Collaboratives as a graphic assistant and has freelanced as an illustrator.Cherish Tong is a multidisciplinary artist who specialises in a range of mediums, including paintings, installations, mixed media, explorations, murals, collaborations, illustrations, and graphic design. She is drawn to the creative arts and the power of visual expression.

Her artworks are an exploration of the connection between the physical and the spiritual world, as well as the relationship between the natural and the man-made. Inspired by nature, she seeks to capture the essence of the natural world that celebrates the enduring power of nature to inspire, heal, and transform. She strives to create works inviting others to pause and immerse in the wonders of nature that is colorful, meaningful, and thought-provoking.



Title: Index:I
Year: 2026
Medium: Digital Print
Statement:

Index:I investigates indexicality as both trace and tactic, drawing on the existential proposition that existence precedes essence. Through the dissection and reconstruction of flora, the work treats plant matter as evidence once living, and once whole, reconfigured to suggest new meanings without erasing its origin. Each fragment operates as an index: a physical imprint of contact, time, and intervention. The process deliberately courts deception, convincing the viewer’s perception of coherence while quietly exposing its fabrication. 

In this tension, Index:I asks how meaning is assigned, how perception is persuaded, and how existence material, mutable, and indexed precedes any stable interpretation imposed upon it.

What appears natural is constructed; what appears whole is assembled.