Joshua Yang (1974 -)

Malaysian artist Joshua Yang began his career trajectory as a civil engineer after obtaining his Bachelor’s in Engineering (Civil Engineering) from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, in 1998. In 2004, Yang graduated with a Bachelor’s in Fine Art from the University of Huddersfield, United Kingdom and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Singapore. Yang pursued further education in the arts and obtained a Master’s in Fine Art (Sculpture) from the Open University of LaSalle College of the Arts, Singapore, in 2006. Yang is an educator who has taught at various institutions such as Pathlight School, Republic Polytechnic and his alma mater, NAFA. During his time at NAFA, Yang co-founded Vertical Submarine, an art collective that creates artworks that imbues a sense of humour.

Yang integrates his knowledge of engineering into his artistic practice. He is most noted for his site-specific and time-based art pieces and the Superstring series – an early collection of single-line drawings. Yang has participated in several group exhibitions and projects and solo exhibitions, such as at Grey Projects, Singapore, and Dojima River Biennale, Osaka. The artist has won numerous accolades, including first prize in the UOB Painting of the Year (Abstract category) 2005 and The President’s Young Talents Award 2009.