Siew Hock Meng is undoubtedly one of the most important senior artists in the region today and widely renowned for his forte in pastel works, oil portraitures and allegorical paintings. He was born in Johor, Malaysia, in 1942 and educated in Singapore. Siew completed a year of study at Nanyang Academy of Fine Art but in 1961, and after one year he found himself more interested in aesthetics and philosophy than painting. He abandoned art and became a rubber tapper in Pengerang in Johore and then at Kemaman (Terengganu) It is in Kemaman that he discovered Marxist-Leninist literature and became interested in politics and joined Labour Party as activist for a few years. In 1975 Siew returned to Singapore to run an art gallery and did portraiture for which he gained growing reputation in the region. He then began to explore other subjects and themes such as human figures, still-life, and culture of Asia where he has traveled widely. His experiences in Bali, Myanmar, India and Cambodia have significantly enriched his art. As an artist based in Singapore, Siew was awarded the National Day Medal for Fine Arts in 1971 and the award for Visual Arts Creation, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Alumni Association Singapore in 1981 and 1984.