In 1997, Valentine Willie Fine Art presented the debut solo exhibition of Anthonie Chong, marking a pivotal entry for the 26-year-old artist into the Malaysian art scene. Featuring works from his “Internal Man” and “Mime” series, the exhibition showcased a mature, albeit somber, figurative style that had already garnered regional attention at the Singapore Art Museum’s inaugural exhibition the year prior. Chong’s practice at this time was a deliberate departure from the commercial optimism of the mid-90s; instead, he utilized the nude figure to strip away social artifice and confront the “darker side” of the human condition.

His canvases are characterized by a sense of existential entrapment. In a catalogue conversation titled “Hidden Statements,” Chong described his focus on the “complex human condition”, a reality he perceived as “full of violence, insecurity, confusion and gloominess”.