At the opening ceremony of “The Story of Yeh Chi Wei”, it is heartwarming to hear the late artist’s granddaughter giving a speech on Mr. Yeh Chi Wei’s art and the effort in putting an exhibition together – works by Yeh and works by The Ten Men Group (a community led by Yeh). It must have been a proud evening for the Yeh’s family as well as Yeh’s fellow artists to see this collection artwork displayed in one of Singapore’s museums. There is a strong essence of Southeast Asia style in Yeh’s work as he was used to organize painting trips to different locations in the region and exhibit their works together after the trips. Yeh taught art for 22 years in Singapore and passed away in 1981.
As an Asian, some of the themes I can quite readily relate, which is always a good start in attempting to appreciate the art. I in particularly am drawn to the usage of powerful black color contrasted with muted colors. That intensity. Below are some of the photos I took during the opening event. As for the event itself, Cynthia and I really appreciate the school kids stationed in front of the key exhibits explaining the artwork to the visitors. They have done a great job and we love it. Back to the exhibition, catch “The Story of Yeh Chi Wei” now at the Singapore Art Museum from May 27 to September 12, 2010.