Diplomacy and Desire: Basoeki Abdullah in Singapore

Kathleen Ditzig

Once described as “the Rembrandt of the East,” Indonesian painter Basoeki Abdullah (1915–1993) is famed for his accomplishments in Western painting techniques and his portraits of political figures. The exhibition Diplomacy and Desire: Basoeki Abdullah in Singapore explores the artist’s relationship with Singapore, where he lived between 1958 and 1960, a critical time during which Singapore achieved self-governance. This exhibition catalogue builds on the themes of the exhibition, offering an Indonesian perspective written by Bayu Genia on the complexities of Basoeki’s legacy. In her curatorial essay, Kathleen Ditzig explores Basoeki’s Southeast Asian regional identity and how, through him and his works, art had a distinct agency in postcolonial worldbuilding.