The Misunderstood Trip That Led to the 1953 Landmark Art Exhibition

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 About02:14 – The importance of the 1953 exhibition in art history05:20 – The story of the shoebox08:17 – What makes the newly discovered photographs special11:00 – The significance of the artists’ journey to Bali and Java14:11 – How their journey began with the kindness of strangers16:07 – The life and times of the four pioneering artists21:11 – Gretchen’s journey following in the footsteps of the artists23:15 – Her intention in showcasing the photographs alongside the art they inspired26:14 – The hardest part about researching the book27:29 – How Gretchen became interested in Singapore’s visual history30:02 – The book she is most proud of32:21 – Her experience as the in-house historian for the Raffles Hotel35:19 – What is next for Gretchen35:56 – Family history is…Transcript Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-the-misunderstood-trip-that-led-to-the-1953-landmark-art-exhibition-gretchen-liu/Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast 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 Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Gretchen for coming on the show.The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.