Rediscover nude art pioneer Solamalay Namasivayam

A new book and exhibition illuminate the life of the humble artist-educator, whose legacy has been largely forgotten

- Clement Yong

In 1980s Singapore, when nude life drawing was taboo, a little-known pioneer artist insisted on its practice at the then-four-year-old Lasalle College of the Arts.

Few locals dared to pose unclothed, so he looked to backpackers staying in hostels willing to disrobe for some petty cash. His deep, booming voice, along with his way of talking to a person like he or she was the only one that mattered, would more often than not successfully persuade models of his pure intentions.

This was Singaporean artist Solamalay Namasivayam, who died at 87 in 2013 – a figure that should count among Singapore's most formative artists but whose legacy has been largely forgotten.

A new monograph, titled Namasivayam: Points Of Articulation, and a fresh exhibition at Yeo Workshop in Gillman Barracks, on till May 7, seek to set this right.

The effort – the result of five years of primary research, interviews and expensive restoration of over 200 of the artist's works – illuminates the life of a humble artist-educator, whose dedication to art was so thorough, he requested pencil and paper on his deathbed.

The monograph features essays by former director of the National Museum of Singapore Kwa Chong Guan, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies adjunct senior fellow Victor Savage, as well as good friend of Namasivayam artist Sim Thong Kern, among others. It also boasts a wealth of archival illustrations.

Ms Audrey Yeo, president of the Art Galleries Association of Singapore and director of gallery Yeo Workshop, heads the project. She first came across Namasivayam while hobnobbing at a party for businessmen in 2018.