Euan Heng, (born 1945 in

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...

, Argyllshire, Scotland) is an artist who is now living and working in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Life and work

Between 1960 and 1970 he was employed in various occupations, including four years as a merchant seaman travelling the world. He received a Diploma in Art and a Post Diploma from

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD) is part of the University of Dundee in Dundee, Scotland. It is ranked as one of the top schools of art and design in the United Kingdom. History Attempts were made to establish an art scho ...

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

, Scotland and Masters in Research from

RMIT RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scienc ...

, in Melbourne. Other activities of the artist have included teaching at Clackmannan College of Further Education (now Forth Valley College) in Scotland,

Monash University, Prato Centre The Monash University Prato Centre (often known as Monash Prato) is a teaching and research centre in Tuscany. It is located in an 18th-century palace, the ''Palazzo Vaj'' (or ''Vai''), in the historical centre of Prato. It was opened on 17 Sep ...

in Italy and he is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor in Fine Art at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

, Melbourne. When describing his work, Heng explains his process of emptying out his paintings, "no vulgar brush strokes and no detail to distract – just gently modulated pigment to activate flat shapes of colour. I want the visual response to my new paintings to be rapid, if possible, after which the viewer, should he or she wish, can invest further time in unpacking the content, or in discovering the paintings' secrets. By seeking this pictorial suddenness, formally speaking my aim is to avoid the 'expressionistic', and to privilege instead the flatness of the painting's surface." While Heng's work is contemporary in practice his imagery is not always contemporary in origin. He has long been influenced by Italian iconography, medieval paintings and frescoes, and 16th century Mogul art. Heng has been able to spend considerable time in Italy, thanks to his teaching post at the Prato Centre, and aspects of the country's art and landscape have crept into his work.

Exhibitions

Since 1973, Heng has held 35 solo exhibitions in Australia, Italy and Scotland and has participated in over 70 curated and juried group exhibitions in Australia and internationally, including the UK, North America, Europe and Asia. Shows include ''Reading the Space: Contemporary Australian Drawing #3'' at New York Studio School in the US and ''Interlude Suspended'' at Niagara Galleries in Melbourne. He has participated in the Auckland Art Fair and

Melbourne Art Fair The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, colloquially referred to as "Jeff's Shed," is a group of three adjacent buildings next to the Yarra River in South Wharf, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The venues are ow ...

representing Niagara Galleries and Boutwell Draper Gallery, Sydney and the Drawing Biennale at

Drill Hall Gallery The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

Collections

Heng's work is represented in major private and corporate collections, as well as public and university museum collections in all states of Australia including the

National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum. The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most importa ...

and the

Queensland Art Gallery The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) is an art museum located in South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. It complements the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) building, situated only away. The Queensland Art Galler ...

. Internationally, Heng's work appears in the collections of Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery and

Stirling University The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built w ...

, both in Scotland. Additionally, illustrated essays, articles and reviews on his work have been published in all major Australian newspapers and recognised art press, including Art Forum International, USA, Asian Art news, Art and Australia and Art Monthly Australia.

Awards

Heng has participated in visiting artist/lectureships and residences in Australia and overseas including, in 1999, the

Australia Council The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...

Residency at the

British School at Rome The British School at Rome (BSR) is an interdisciplinary research centre supporting the arts, humanities and architecture. History The British School at Rome (BSR) was established in 1901 and granted a UK Royal Charter in 1912. Its mission is " ...

. In 2004 he received the Australian Council for University Art and Design Schools Distinguished Research Award. In 2010 he was the recipient of a Residencies for Scotland Programme, awarded by the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...

References

External links

euanheng.com
Artists' website

Niagara Galleries, Melbourne Australia (Euan Heng)
boutwelldrapergallery.com.au
Boutwell Draper Gallery, Sydney Australia (Euan Heng) {{DEFAULTSORT:Heng, Euan Australian painters Australian printmakers Living people 1945 births Alumni of the University of Dundee People from Oban