Emelia Ong Thiran (b. 1974, Penang) received her BFA from the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. She completed a Masters in Visual Arts at Universiti Malaya (2007) and later a PhD in Art History from Universiti Sains Malaysia (2014) as a UM SLAI Fellow. She has taught design and visual art studies in numerous art colleges, as well as art history at Universiti Malaya. She is the author of ‘Living Art: The Inspired Lives of 14 Malaysian Artists & their Art Practice’ (2020) published by Areca Books.