Anthonie Chong was born in 1971. Through experiences of the complexities and dilemma of living in a globalized and technocratic age, Chong created the @-monk series in the year 2000s, which is inspired by ‘Narjar’ a brave child character from an ancient Chinese legend. The series is integrated with Eastern posturing techniques, which aims to communicate to the spectator a recollection of childhood memories. The @-monk characters not only narrate a story but also depict ‘a spiritual release and desire for eternal peace.’

In 2008, the nature inspired Gaia series was conceived and consists of five elements that of metal, wood, water, fire and earth. The child is depicted interacting with elements of nature, fully present in the moment enjoying the wonders of his surroundings. The @-Monk series consists of four major series; E-gen series, Community series, Gaia series and Mechanism series.

Chong received his formal education at the Perak Institute of Art, majoring in graphic art. Exposure to western art movements such as social realism has profoundly influenced his artistic practice. Chong’s works have been collected by private collectors and museums, such as the Singapore Art Museum and National Art Gallery, Malaysia.

Chong’s work My Father’s Son I and II was featured in Naked Perfection, an exhibition held in 2002 by Singapore Art Museum, which aimed to explore the “tensions, expectations and intrigue of nudity and nakedness in art”. Chong has recently exhibited in Life-Lines: Works from the Life Drawing Community KL, organized by Xin Art Space, which featured original drawings and paintings from ten artists on the study of the human form.

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Anthonie Chong received his Diploma, majoring in Graphic Design, at the Perak Institute of Art in Ipoh in 1990. He held his first solo at the X Pub and Gallery in Penang in 1994. He won the Malaysian level award in the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards in 1998.

In 2000, he switched to caricature-like iconography fusing eastern surrealism with digital technology, and celebrating it with his third solo titled ‘e-monk Art In Town’ at RAP, Kuala Lumpur. Called e-monk which later morphed into @-monk in 2010, and inspired by the ancient Ne-Zha Chinese legend, it has four components e-gen, Community, Gaia and Mechanism.

He was to have three more solos after that, one at Town-house Gallery, Kuala Lmpur in 2002, before Naked Perfection at the Singapore Art Museum in 2002, and ‘Anthony Chong + e.monk’ at Artfolio Gallery in Kuala Lumpur in 2009. He did not hold down any job for long, having worked as an art teacher (Art Design, Kuala Lumpur), graphic designer and illustrator.