Evoking the Southeast Asian Contemporary: The United World College Arts Festivals 1972–84 | Teo Eng Seng in Conversation with Joleen Loh

Artist Teo Eng Seng gives a captivating account of the context and significance of the United World College Festival of the Arts (1972–84) in this hour-long conversation with Gallery curator Joleen Loh. This festival was one of the earliest sites in Singapore for the display of contemporary art from the region, Europe and the United States. The audience was treated to vivid anecdotes and stories of the local contemporary art scene in the 1970s. Teo also presented some catalogues from the festivals.

“A very relevant discussion to help locals better understand the history of contemporary art in Singapore. Good to see that it has been part of the development for a long time already.” – Audience member

Teo Eng Seng (b. 1938, Singapore) was the recipient of the Cultural Medallion in 1986 for his contributions to art and art education. Teo graduated from the Birmingham College of Art and Design in the 1960s. Upon returning to Singapore in 1971, he taught art at the United World College of Southeast Asia until 1996. Teo is known for inventing paperdyesculp, or pulped paper, which he used to create The Net: Most Definitely the Singapore River, currently exhibited in DBS Singapore Gallery 2.