The turbulent year of 2020 may be drawing to a close, but museums all across Singapore are certainly not. This year-end, seize the opportunity to head back into galleries and art spaces, especially the National Gallery, as the Singaporean and Southeast Asian art museum will finally be unveiling its latest exhibition, Georgette Chen: At Home in the World.
Opening Nov 27, the late local painter’s eponymous exhibition will undoubtedly feature some of her most prominent artworks as well as rare archival materials to showcase her life and times, in Singapore and globally.
Since the exhibition bears significance as the first major retrospective of Georgette Chen’s work in two decades, it will shed light on her less well-known yet critical contributions to the development of Singapore’s then-nascent artistic community.
In conjunction with the Gallery’s fifth anniversary commemoration and its theme of inspiring inclusiveness, the exhibition will even highlight Chen’s sensitivity towards Singapore’s diverse culture, in which she paid particular attention to the importance of language in understanding culture. To that end, expect a range of complementary programmes to engage audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
At the special showcase spanning two galleries, visitors will be given the opportunity to discover Chen’s prolific body of work, and that encompasses the breadth of her practice throughout her time in China, France, America, Malaysia and Singapore. Simply trace the exhibition highlights via nine thematic sections, including Arriving in Malaya that marks Chen’s move to Malaya in 1951 as well as Travelling and Painting, as Chen’s travels played a significant role in providing inspiration for her heavily coveted pieces.
Furthermore, those interested to find out more about Chen’s career as an educator can also do so, as At Home in the World also spotlights Chen’s significant contributions to the Singapore artistic community as an artist, educator, mentor and arts administrator.
A comprehensive timeline of Chen’s life and career milestones will also be displayed at the Level 4 City Hall Foyer to help art enthusiasts understand Chen and her pivotal moments better.
Now all that’s left is for you to mark your calendars and visit the art gallery to check out one of Singapore’s homegrown talents as well as her most prolific artworks on display.
Georgette Chen: At Home in the World runs from Nov 27-Sep 26 2021 at the National Gallery Singapore. More information available here.
