"Diplomacy and Desire: Basoeki Abdullah in Singapore" features the artworks of  Indonesian artist Basoeki Abdullah (1915–1993). He was known for his portraits of statesmen and women. Focusing on his time in Singapore from 1958 to 1960, the exhibition examines Basoeki's gift of two artworks to the country along with portraits of models and public figures in Singapore. It explores his dual role as a high-society painter and cultural producer, highlighting the "geopoetic" power of art in postcolonial Southeast Asia.

Join exhibition curator Kathleen Ditzig for a special tour of Basoeki’s alluring portraits and landscapes. Learn about the exhibition and explore how “geopoetics” relate to postcolonial nation-building in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

  • When: Sun, 11 May | 2pm - 3pm
  • Suitable For: All
  • Where: Supreme Court wing, Level 3, UOB Southeast Asia Gallery, Dalam Southeast Asia
  • Free, Registration required
Register now
Share

About the exhibition

Basoeki Abdullah's luminous portraits of political figures and attractive women made him one of Southeast Asia's most sought-after painters. The exhibition showcases two significant paintings that the artist donated to Singapore: Labour (gifted to Singapore City Council in 1959) and Struggle for the Re-establishment of the Democracy and the Right for the People (gifted to the National Museum Art Gallery in 1981). Centring on these works, the exhibition explores how this exemplary Southeast Asian artist navigated high society and was attuned to the “geopoetic” value of his artwork.

About the Speaker

Kathleen Ditzig is Curator at National Gallery Singapore. She received a PhD from Nanyang Technological University with a dissertation titled, “Exhibiting Southeast Asia in the Cultural Cold War: Geopolitics of Regional Art Exhibitions (1940s–1980s).” She obtained her MA from the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College.

Inspired by her experience in cultural policy, Ditzig studies modern and contemporary Southeast Asian art in relation to global histories of capitalism, technology and international relations. As a curator and researcher, she is invested in advancing and interrogating art as an exceptional site and system of speaking to power. She won an IMPART Curatorial Award in 2021. Her writing has been published by Southeast of Now (NUS Press), Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia (NUS Press), Afterall (University of the Arts London), post: Notes on art in a global context (MoMA), Art Agenda and Art Forum, among others.