Born in Singapore in 1945, Poon graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in 1964,[1] and held his first exhibition at the old National Library.

It was a new gallery set up at the 7 Alexandra Avenue address, by the prominent architect Datuk Lim Chong Keat.

[2] It was during the late 1970s that he produced the Wave Series, abandoning the shaped canvas for the square frame, although order and symmetry remained the operative logic.

Here, abstraction was the predominant form of expression, although Poon deferred in being more conceptual, analytical and controlled as compared to his contemporaries.

His early works, although containing figurations instructive of the formal teachings of NAFA, already showed signs of semi-abstraction.

His sculptures told of his meticulous slant towards precision, which were a creative engineering feat of geometrical shapes.

[3] Even after being diagnosed with lung cancer he continued to work, completing a sculpture for the Beijing 2008 Olympics shortly before he died.