HOME TO HE(ART)
By Gözde Zehnder and Russel Zehnder
About the Film
Home to He(art) offers a glimpse of how Singapore artist Chen Wen Hsi (b. 1906, China; d. 1991, Singapore) had lived and worked in his last place of residence at 5 Kingsmead Road, with a focus on the two murals he painted between 1959 to 1964. Entitled Studio I and Studio II, these abstract murals reflect the influence of Cubist art, but also exemplifies Chen’s inclination to incorporate Nanyang subject matter into his compositions. As art historian Low Sze Wee points out, these works must have held personal significance, inscribed as they were in an intimate, domestic space Chen would encounter daily. Given that he made many of his works at home, and drew inspiration from the natural environment around him, the film also looks at the grounds of his estate, namely a garden adjacent to his studio where he kept a small menagerie of animals, including a gibbon that inspired his paintings on the subject. Besides archival footage, the film features first-hand accounts from his former neighbours, friends and students who had visited him at home, such as local artists Ho Chee Lick, Goh Beng Kwan, and Chua Soo Bin.
What the film also brings to light is the extraordinary dedication of those who committed themselves to the preservation of the historic murals. It presents behind-the-scenes documentation of this extended journey taken by conservators, architects, engineers, and builders, along with the current homeowner, passionate to do all they can to safeguard and share Chen’s art with the world. As a team, they embarked on the complex project, which involved extracting the mural wall, relocating it to a storage facility, before re-installing it back on site, fully restored. But the ambitious undertaking faced numerous challenges. It required painstaking preparations, extensive safety precautions to protect the structural integrity of the wall (or risk shattering the murals), and dealing with disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The completed project, and film, testifies to a remarkable shared response to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contribute to the legacy of a pioneering figure in Singapore art history, for the good of generations to come.
The filmmakers will be in attendance for a post-screening dialogue.
Related Exhibition
This programme is conceived in conjunction with the exhibition, Singapore Stories: Pathways and Detours in Art, which presents a layered and ever-changing story of Singapore’s art history.
Chen Wen Hsi’s Gibbons (1977) is one of the featured artworks currently on display.
Related Activities
Ahead of the screening, join curator Teo Hui Min for a walkthrough of Gallery 1 in Singapore Stories, where artworks by Chen Wen Hsi are on display.
Sat, 7 Sep 2025, 1pm
Conducted before the film screening
Registration required; tour is complimentary for film screening ticket holders only.
The directors and project team will be in attendance for a post-screening dialogue.
Included with your film screening ticket
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