In 1952, four Singapore artists – Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong Soo Pieng and Liu Kang – travelled to Java and Bali in search of artistic inspiration. The following year, they put up an exhibition showcasing art they had produced from the trip, an exhibition often hailed by art historians as a milestone in Singapore art history. Yet much of the trip has been shrouded in mystery, until Gretchen Liu, the daughter-in-law of Liu Kang, discovered Liu Kang's archives and photographs from the trip. She tells us how the trip came together, what the artists did in Java and Bali, and what the trip meant to them as artists.
Gretchen Liu is a former journalist, a writer and an independent scholar with an interest in visual culture and heritage. She is the editor and author of several books. Most recently, she has been researching the early life of her father-in-law Liu Kang, a journey that has taken her deep into early 20th-century Chinese art history. Her latest book is Bali 1952: Through the Lens of Liu Kang.
What Gretchen Talked About
- 02:14 – The importance of the 1953 exhibition in art history
- 05:20 – The story of the shoebox
- 08:17 – What makes the newly discovered photographs special
- 11:00 – The significance of the artists’ journey to Bali and Java
- 14:11 – How their journey began with the kindness of strangers
- 16:07 – The life and times of the four pioneering artists
- 21:11 – Gretchen’s journey following in the footsteps of the artists
- 23:15 – Her intention in showcasing the photographs alongside the art they inspired
- 26:14 – The hardest part about researching the book
- 27:29 – How Gretchen became interested in Singapore’s visual history
- 30:02 – The book she is most proud of
- 32:21 – Her experience as the in-house historian for the Raffles Hotel
- 35:19 – What is next for Gretchen
- 35:56 – Family history is…
Transcript
- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/podcast/the-misunderstood-trip-that-led-to-the-1953-landmark-art-exhibition-gretchen-liu/transcript
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This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Doppler Soundlab. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Osman Ahmad and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Gretchen for coming on the show.
BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library of Singapore.