In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 1951
- Birthplace
- Singapore
- Country
- Singapore
- Nationality
- Singaporean
- Known for
- Let’s Walk, Another Woman, Every Step Counts and Singapore’s A Pause presentation in Venice
- Art training
- Diploma in Fine Arts, LASALLE, class of 1988
- Artist initiatives
- The Artists Village; Women in the Arts
- National arts honour
- Cultural Medallion, 2010
- International prize
- 12th Benesse Prize, awarded in January 2020
- Venice presentation
- A Pause, Singapore Pavilion, 2026
- Venice curator
- Selene Yap
Why this life matters
Her performances and artist initiatives helped create space for feminist inquiry and public participation within Singapore’s contemporary art scene.
Timeline
Key moments
Born in Singapore
Museum and award biographies establish her birth year; an exact birthday is not asserted.
Graduated from LASALLE
Completed a Diploma in Fine Arts and became a founding member of The Artists Village.
Women in the Arts and Let’s Walk
Formed the women artists’ collective and began the participatory walking work.
National recognition and museum survey
Received the Cultural Medallion in 2010; SAM presented Speak To Me, Walk With Me in 2011.
Every Step Counts and the Benesse Prize
Presented the walking-based Singapore Biennale project and received the 12th Benesse Prize on 11 January 2020.
Presented A Pause in Venice
Worked with curator Selene Yap on Singapore’s pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.
A change of direction into art
Amanda Heng was born in Singapore in 1951. She worked as a tax officer before changing direction and studying at LASALLE College of the Arts. The college identifies her as a 1988 Diploma in Fine Arts graduate. Her route into art began after a substantial period of working life, bringing experience of the office and family into her later practice.
In 1988 she helped establish The Artists Village, a setting for experimentation in Singapore. In 1999 she formed Women in the Arts, bringing women practitioners together to exchange ideas and create opportunities to exhibit. Organising platforms for other artists became an important part of her contribution alongside making individual works.
The body and everyday encounters
Heng’s art often begins with ordinary activities. In Let’s Chat, people sit together over tea and beansprouts, turning a shared domestic task into an encounter with art. Another Woman explores her relationship with her mother through photographs, connecting family intimacy with questions about women’s identities and expectations within the household.
Let’s Walk, first staged in 1999, brings participants into public space. Walking backwards with mirrors and high-heeled shoes held in their mouths makes a familiar action demanding and strange. The work emerged from concerns about women’s vulnerability during the Asian financial crisis, while later performances created fresh encounters with different publics.
Recognition and an ageing body
Heng received Singapore’s Cultural Medallion in 2010. The following year, Singapore Art Museum presented Speak To Me, Walk With Me, surveying a practice that crossed performance, installation and photography. Recognition followed years of developing collaborative approaches and questioning how audiences might participate in art rather than only observe it.
Every Step Counts extended her attention to walking at Singapore Biennale 2019. Workshops, text, video and live performances considered how an ageing body moves through a changing environment. The 12th Benesse Prize, awarded to Heng on 11 January 2020, recognised this phase of her practice.
A Pause at the Singapore Pavilion
In 2026 Heng and curator Selene Yap represented Singapore at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Their presentation, A Pause, occupied the Sale d’Armi in the Arsenale. Singapore Art Museum organised the pavilion, which brought photographs, video and an architectural intervention into a space for rest and observation.
The presentation centred on sitting, waiting and watching. These quiet actions continued Heng’s long interest in what bodies do and how people encounter one another. The museum described a movement from the immediacy of her earlier public performances towards a more inward form of attention, connecting the Venice work with the concerns developed across her career.
Sources for this section: [8]
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Amanda Heng
- What is Amanda Heng known for?
- Her practice combines performance, photography, installation and participation. Works including Let’s Walk, Another Woman and Every Step Counts examine gender, relationships, memory and the body.
- Where did Amanda Heng study art?
- LASALLE College of the Arts identifies her as a Diploma in Fine Arts graduate from its class of 1988.
- Did Amanda Heng win the Benesse Prize in 2019 or 2020?
- She won the 12th Benesse Prize in connection with Singapore Biennale 2019. Benesse records the award ceremony as 11 January 2020.
- What did Amanda Heng present in Venice in 2026?
- She presented A Pause at the Singapore Pavilion, working with curator Selene Yap. It combined photographs, video and an architectural intervention at the 61st International Art Exhibition.
Keep exploring
Lives connected to this story
- Georgette Chen
Explore an earlier Singapore woman artist’s distinct career in painting and art education.
- Eric Khoo
Compare another Singapore Cultural Medallion recipient’s work in film and international exhibition.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations · award biographyAmanda Heng: life, women’s collective and Let’s Walk
- 2. LASALLE College of the Arts · alumni recordAmanda Heng: Diploma in Fine Arts, class of 1988
The college directly verifies its 1988 Diploma in Fine Arts. Its reference to the 60th Venice Biennale in 2026 is a numbering error; the pavilion organiser’s 61st-edition record controls. Conflicting later-degree accounts are omitted.
- 3. NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore · institutional archiveAmanda Heng: artist initiatives and 2011 museum exhibition
- 4. National Gallery Singapore · curatorial essayTough Job: Another Woman and Let’s Chat
- 5. National Arts Council · awarding bodyCultural Medallion recipient archive: Amanda Heng, 2010
- 6. Singapore Art Museum · project account6 Things to Know about Amanda Heng and Every Step Counts
- 7. Benesse Art Site Naoshima · awarding body12th Benesse Prize awarded to Amanda Heng; ceremony on 11 January 2020
The awarding body dates the ceremony to 11 January 2020, although the prize was associated with Singapore Biennale 2019.
- 8. Singapore Art Museum · pavilion organiserA Pause: Singapore Pavilion at Biennale Arte 2026
The organiser verifies 1951/Singapore, the expanded English name, curator and A Pause. Its Let’s Chat start date differs from National Gallery collection records, so no starting year for that work is asserted.
- 9. Wikimedia Commons · LucaFazPhotoAmanda Heng at Venice Biennale Arte 2026: original photograph and CC BY-SA 4.0
Commons API imageinfo identifies LucaFazPhoto’s own work, captured 6 May 2026 and released under CC BY-SA 4.0. Adopt the complete 5372 × 3581 original frame; no crop or subject removal is proposed.
