Winnie Cheng aka ERYN (爱林) is a Penang-based artist who creates surreal compositions using drawing, painting, cutouts, and collage. Her interest in storytelling is apparent in most of her works which are driven by narratives revolving around human psychology, self-identity, and gender issues in Southeast Asia. Using a small scalpel, Winnie creates layers of meticulously cut paper dioramas of strange characters in otherworldly settings inspired by the lush tropical biodiversity of her home. She draws upon personal observation to craft human-animal and human-plant hybrids, turning the familiar into a distorted mirror of reality to try to see beyond the everyday into the hidden depths of our psyche.  

 Winnie completed her Master in Art by Research from the University of Brunei Darussalam in 2013 and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto in 2006. She had participated in local and regional art exhibitions including Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, and Brunei and was the recipient of the Gold Award in the Emerging Artist category of the UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) Competition in 2015. She held her first solo exhibition titled “Mirror Mirror” at G13 Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in July 2019.

View her CV and exhibition history here.