Impressions in Southeast Asia

Workshops and Events > Past Exhibitions Impressions in Southeast Asia

This exhibition featured selected works by SIngaporean and regional artists, demonstrating that beyond the medium of watercolour, oil or ink, there lives a unique impression we should delight to discover in our experience of these works. In the western art world, the word ‘impression’ is connected to the movement in painting where images became less direct and representational. Instead, the idea of making a picture from depicting all other elements such as light, feeling, sensation and even an intuitive response took precedence. The landscape as a subject in Southeast Asia prevails as a pillar in distinguishing its artistic flair and evolution. On display were 25 landscapes by pioneer artists such as Lim Hak Tai, Chen Chong Swee, and Malaysian watercolourist Abdullah Ariff that encapsulated a time of transformation from rural communities to urban societies.