Rohani

When Georgette Chen first moved to Singapore, she made an effort to learn Malay. It helped her build friendships and feel at home in her new environment. Her friends even gave her a nickname “Chendana,” which means “sandalwood” in Malay. Why do you think they called her that?

One of the people Chen grew close to was Rohani Ismail, the woman portrayed here. Rohani was a student of Chen’s at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts better known as NAFA. The two women exchanged letters frequently. Rohani later became an artist herself, and was a member of the Association of Artists of Various Resources, Singapore’s longest running society for Malay artists.

Rohani’s portrait is more than just a physical likeness. It reflects a bond between teacher and student, between two artists at different stages of their journeys, and the kind of mentorship that made NAFA more than just an art school.  

Before World War II, NAFA became the centre of art education in Singapore. It was where artists like Cheong Soo Pieng, Lim Hak Tai and Chen herself taught the next generation. Many of their students, like Rohani, would go on to shape the art scene in Singapore in their own way.