LONG-TERM EXHIBITIONS

FAMILIAR OTHERS: EMIRIA SUNASSA, EDUARDO MASFERRÉ AND YEH CHI WEI, 1940s–1970s

Closing 14 May |

Supreme Court Wing, Level 3, UOB Southeast Asia Gallery, Dalam Southeast Asia

Who is “the Other”? What does it mean to represent peoples who are different from one’s own?

Familiar Others explores these issues through the works of three Southeast Asian modern artists. Emiria Sunassa (1894–1964) painted images of peoples from throughout the Indonesian archipelago but had a special interest in Papua. Eduardo Masferré (1909–1995) photographed the peoples of the Cordillera region of the Philippines, where he spent his life. Yeh Chi Wei (1913–1991) travelled throughout Southeast Asia but was especially inspired by the Indigenous peoples of Sarawak and Sabah.

To open up a discussion about the contemporary implications of these works, this exhibition includes commissioned responses from artists, writers, musicians and scholars who have community ties to the people represented in the artworks.

Dalam Southeast Asia is an experimental project space located within the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery. Projects presented here ask critical questions and explore lesser-known narratives in Southeast Asian art while rethinking what a collections-based display is and what it may seek to achieve.