How are far-flung regions of the world encountered in Southeast Asia’s modern art?

This exhibition features the works of Chen Cheng Mei and You Khin. Both artists adopted highly individual styles, led unusual lives, and have been outliers in most art historical accounts. Although Chen and You did not know each other and were born two decades apart, they shared a lasting affinity for portraying everyday scenes in diverse locations including in Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, and beyond. Both artists shared a planetary consciousness, respecting the diverse peoples they encountered and represented in their art, and recognising that cultures can never be completely understood from the outside.

This exhibition features artworks, photographs and sketches drawn from the personal archives of both artists, making vivid connections between Singapore, Southeast Asia and other parts of the decolonising world, beyond the West.

Dalam Southeast Asia is an experimental project space located within the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery. Projects presented here ask critical questions and explore lesser-known narratives in Southeast Asian art, while rethinking what a collections-based display is and what it may seek to achieve.