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Straits Times

Arts Picks: Basoeki Abdullah at National Gallery, Han Mengyun solo, SG60 strings concert

Indonesian painter Basoeki Abdullah Labour (circa 1950s) is a futuristic landscape based on monuments such as Egyptian pyramids and Ottoman mosques. PHOTO: NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE Diplomacy And Desire: Basoeki Abdullah In Singapore One of South-east Asia's most-sought-after portraitists, Indonesian painter Basoeki Abdullah ( 1915 to 1993 ) has painted the likes of Singapore's first elected chief minister David Marshall, Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew , as well as former Philippine president and first lady Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. In this small and historically intriguing exhibition, some of Basoeki's portraits are on show, including one of Dr Tan Tsze Chor, a businessman dubbed the Pepper King who made his fortune through pepper trading, and several portraits of local models. The centrepie ce i s, however, two huge paintings that face each other in the main hall of the Dalam Southeast Asia space. They are two significant artworks gifted to Singapore in 1959, coinciding with the country's transition towards self-governance, and in 1981. The almost 3m-long Labour (circa 1950s), which featured in the gallery's special exhibition Tropical: Stories From Southeast Asia And Latin America in 2024, is a futuristic landscape based on monuments such as Egyptian pyramids and Ottoman mosques. The painting, accepted by then-Minister of Culture S. Rajaratnam, was Basoeki's representation of the future of Singapore. Basoeki had briefly lived here between 1958 and 1960. The second piece is Struggle For The Re-establishment Of The Democracy And The Right For The People (1981). The mythical landscape, washed in garish blues, is of a mermaid along with five pearls, said to represent the five founding nations of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean). The exhibition is a small window into an artist who was adjacent to power and keenly aware of art's political possibilities. Where: National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew's Road MRT: City Hall When: Till Feb 1, 2026, 10am to 7pm daily Admission: Free for Singaporeans and permanent residents, $20 (standard) and $15 (concession) for foreigners Info: Han Mengyun: Jewels Of Impermanence Reunion (2024) by Han Mengyun. PHOTO: SHANGHART GALLERY Wuhan-bo rn a rtist Han Mengyun's upcoming exhibition sets the stage for an encounter between Dutch vanitas paintings and Buddhist depictions of skeletons and skulls. The largely black-and-white paintings of these transient objects draw from the Western memento mori traditions – which lay bare worldly vanity – and Buddhist meditations on repulsiveness, which confront impermanence as a prerequisite of enlightenment. The series sees the London-based artist return to the medium of oil painting, which she had rejected for close to a decade, in search of alternative expressions beyond Western materials. Han says in a statement: 'In the prospect of grim uncertainty, I felt an urgent craving for the corporeal lusciousness of oil, the exhilarating violence of the brush, the humble endurance of canvas – capacities ink and rice paper cannot sustain.' Where: ShanghART Singapore, 02-22 Gillman Barracks, 9 Lock Road MRT: Labrador Park When: May 31 to July 27, noon to 6pm (Wednesdays to Sundays); other hours by appointment only Admission: Free Info: Min Lee & Aleksey Igudesman, SG60 Celebrate! Singaporean violinist Min Lee (pictured) and Russian-German violinist Aleksey Igudesman will join 60 young musicians for a charity concert in celebration of the Republic's 60th birthday. PHOTO: THE ORGANISERS Singaporean violinist Min Lee and Russian-German violinist Aleksey Igudesman will join 60 young musicians for a charity concert in celebration of the Republic's 60th birthday. Expect a multicultural programme with traditional tunes such as the popular Spanish folk song La Cucaracha, as well as Singaporean composer Dick Lee's patriotic anthem Home. The programme is arranged by Igudesman. Young and prodigious violinists from Lee's Wolfgang Violin Studio , such as 12-year-old Mark Lee and 11-year-old Chua Suen Ern, will also take the stage. The concert is organised by The Association of Banks in Singapore and the Credit Bureau Singapore in support of the President's Challenge. President Tharman Shanmugaratnam is the concert's guest of honour. Where: Victoria Concert Hall, 11 Empress Place MRT: City Hall When: June 3, 7.30pm Admission: $50 to $100 Info: Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.