Wei Yang Chaw is a Singaporean entrepreneur and the founder of Co-Museum, a platform focused on developing models for collective ownership and broader public access to art and cultural assets. His work is informed by early experiences with private art collections, which led him to explore community-driven approaches to how art is owned, experienced, and valued. ^[1]

Career

Chaw began engaging with art through street culture and streetwear in childhood, initially collecting sneakers before developing an interest in street art and contemporary artists. By his early teens, he had started collecting art and designer collectibles. In 2016, through his father’s involvement with the Singapore Freeport facility, Chaw gained exposure to high-value artworks by artists such as Monet, Van Gogh, and Rothko. This experience provided insight into private art storage practices and the dynamics of art ownership and valuation.

Observing that significant works were often kept in long-term storage and inaccessible to the public, Chaw developed a perspective on the structural divide between art ownership and public appreciation. He identified a disconnect between collectors who hold valuable works and broader audiences whose engagement contributes to an artwork’s cultural and market value. These observations informed his interest in alternative models of art access and ownership.

In 2021, Chaw founded Co-Museum, a collective focused on shared ownership and community engagement in art. The organization seeks to connect audiences with artists through digital platforms and exhibitions. In January 2023, Co-Museum hosted its Proof of Concept showcase in Singapore, featuring works from more than 25 artists. The exhibition included both established and emerging digital and contemporary artists and was positioned as a large-scale NFT art event in the region. Through Co-Museum, Chaw has continued to explore models that integrate public participation into the art ecosystem, emphasizing exhibitions, community involvement, and digital formats as tools to broaden access and redefine how art is experienced and valued. ^[2]​

Co-Museum

Co-Museum is a platform designed to broaden access to fine art through fractional ownership that prioritizes cultural participation over pure financial speculation. Traditional fractionalization models have typically treated art as an investment product, where value is defined mainly by resale potential and access is limited to high-net-worth collectors. In contrast, Co-Museum treats each fraction as a meaningful form of ownership, similar to collectibles that carry both cultural and financial significance. This structure allows people to engage with major artworks at lower price points while maintaining a genuine sense of connection to what they own.

The platform is supported by Web3 infrastructure, which enables transparent, verifiable ownership and reduces reliance on traditional intermediaries. Drawing from lessons in NFT and crypto communities, Co-Museum incorporates community-driven valuation, where cultural relevance and collective interest shape value. Its goal is to expand the existing art ecosystem rather than disrupt it, increasing participation across artists, collectors, auction houses, and museums. Overall, Co-Museum frames art ownership as a shared cultural experience, integrating art more directly into everyday life instead of confining it to an elite audience. ^[2]