School of Creative
Industries
Lim Cheng Hong
Cheng Hong is graduating with an MA Art Therapy from LASALLE College of the Arts, and hopes to use her background in psychology and interest in artistic expression to reach out to and care for the vulnerable and at-risk groups in Singapore.
As part of the programme’s supervised clinical placements, Cheng Hong has provided art therapy to adults and older adults living with mental health conditions at a day care rehabilitation centre and a nursing home.
Cheng Hong’s art practice is a response and means to inquiries in the self and identity. She explores her curiosities by reconnecting with past experiences, grounding herself in the present and meeting her existence at the intersection of her cultural, social and geographical contexts. While Cheng Hong's artistic expression gravitates towards making prints and images with natural inks, she continues to discover and engage in other forms of art to expand her artistic explorations.
Work
Witness
Tape
300 x 200 cm (series of two)
(2025)
This artwork is inspired by the artist’s engagement with older adults residing in a nursing home, living with mental health conditions.
This piece reflects on the cumulative experiences of loss in this care setting—of physical function, autonomy, memory, creativity, identity and meaningful relationships. Within this environment, the unexpected presence of a Javan mynah—a bird commonly seen in Singapore—becomes a powerful symbol. Its brief visits disrupt the quiet hum of loss, offering a fleeting yet profound sense of connection, observation and presence.
Witness invites viewers to consider the role of the observer—human or otherwise—and the significance of being seen. It asks us to reflect: How do we perceive those around us? How do we see, and how are we seen?
