Penang artist Tiffany Choong's new exhibition highlights Peranakan roots

'I spent six months on the collection, working solidly but not manically … there was a lot of research involved. Even selecting the gold paint was an experiment as I had to search everywhere for the brightest gold I could find,' says Choong. Photos: Tiffany Choong

As a child, Tiffany Choong’s ambition was to be a “hippie traveller”.

“I didn’t know at that time that it wasn’t considered a career,” recalls Choong with a laugh. “I saw all these backpackers arriving in Penang, and I wanted to do the same thing – travel the world!”