The Exhibition Catalogue
27 May – 28 Sep @ SAM
The Story of Yeh Chi Wei (2 Volumes)
The new catalogue to accompany the National Art Gallery, Singapore, exhibition The Story of Yeh Chi Wei 27 May – 12 Sept 2010.
Yeh Chi Wei (1913-1981) was a Singaporean artist, educator and leader in Singapore’s 20th- century art scene. Like the other pioneer Nanyang artists, Yeh received formal instruction in painting in China before he came over to Singapore in 1937. His aesthetics were radically shaped by his new life in Malaya as well as travels with the Ten Men Group to other parts of Southeast Asia.
Over time Yeh’s name has become strangely obscure. The exhibition and catalogue tell the story of the life and works of this significant and enigmatic figure. The essays in both volumes provide insights about Yeh Chi Wei’s artistic practice, the influence of diverse cultural and historical resources in his paintings, and his legacy. There are newly-commissioned essays as well as reproduced historical publications, including eight essays by Yeh Chi Wei himself (written and published between 1960 and 1972) and all past Ten Men catalogues. All Chinese texts are accompanied by new English translations, and vice versa.