Ben Fong is of Fijian/Chinese descent and hails from Vanuabalavu, in the Lau group of islands in Fiji. He is a self-taught welder, with some formal training experience at the National Training and Productivity Centre and the College of Engineering, Science and Technology of the Fiji National University. Ben has designed and created the set for all of the Oceania Dance Theater’s productions and also designed and created the set for the Domo Ni Karmen production staged by the French Embassy of Suva in July 2009. Ben produces metal sculptures at the Oceania Centre, for which he has won the National Sculpture Award at the Fiji National Fine Art Awards in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009. His artwork has seen him represent Fiji to numerous arts festivals and receive commissions from within the Pacific region and internationally. He has exhibited widely, including at the Red Wave Collective Exhibition held at the James Harvey Gallery, Sydney, Australia (2000); at the 9th Festival of Pacific Arts in Koror, Palau (2004); and as a Pacific Island representative to the ACP Cultural Festival, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (2006). Ben’s artworks are also found in numerous collections including the Belau National Museum, Palau; The Museum of Modern Art, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and the Fiji Arts Council, Suva, Fiji.
