School of Creative
Industries
Cheang Shwu Peng
With a background in both media and government sectors, Shwu Peng has diverse experiences from working with different groups of people and communities. Her interest in people and their stories led her to pursue a bachelor of arts in psychology, followed by an MA Art Therapy degree at LASALLE College of the Arts.
During her postgraduate studies at LASALLE College of the Arts, she had the privilege of providing art therapy services to adults with autism spectrum disorder in a day activity centre, as well as older adults in palliative care in a community hospital.
Shwu Peng believes in the gentle power of creative expression to process past experiences, and to connect with our inner self and others.
Work
From Outside, Looking in
Mixed media
68 x 47 x 23.5 cm
(2025)
While working with older adults in her placement setting, the artist finds herself immersed in stories from the past—theirs and her own.
The biscuit tin is a fixture in her childhood memories. During grocery trips with her mother, the artist used to stand before many rows of biscuit tins, filled with exciting and tasty treats that called out to her through the windows of the metal tins.
The three biscuit tins serve as containers for the artist’s memories and art-making journey as a child, an adult, and—as of now—an art therapist trainee. The visuals in the tins are created with different types of collage, which is a useful art form to encourage free association and tap into the unconscious thoughts in her inner world. Assembling different materials to form a cohesive art piece suggests a possibility of repair or an attempt to rebuild what was lost.
She hopes to receive her clients with the same openness and honesty with their individual lived experiences.
