Group 90
Encyclopedia
Group 90 is an informal arts group in Singapore, committed to the study and interpretation, and promotion of the human nudity as an art form. It was founded the late Brother Joseph McNally, along with founding members S. Namasivayam, Chia Wai Hon and Sim Tong Khern, who subscribe to the European art tradition of using the human body in developing artistic mastery in depicting form, perceptual acuity and fluency in drawing.
nor the Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts
offerd life drawing classes, and the conservative Singapore art market did not favour nude-themed art for fear of offending those with an aversion for nudity. Only a few artists favoured the depiction of human figure in art, such as Liu Kang
, Cheong Soo Pieng
, Ng Eng Teng
, and contemporary artist Yeo Siak Goon; other artists in Singapore generally favoured landscape art
. Even in street scenes, they tried to avoid painting human figures in the scenes. Chia also attributed the lack of interest to the difficult of mastering the discipline, and especially the few models willing to pose in the nude.
Unafazed by negative perceptions, Brother Joseph McNally in 1987 decided to introduce life drawing and painting from a nude model inro the College art curriculum. He appreciated the immense value of knowledge of human anatomy to good draughtsmanship, and urged the then-College art lecturer S. Namaysivayam to instill good foundation training to the students of the College through the subject. Namasivayam, who himself had not drawn a life model since his artschool days in the 1950s, was uncertain about his ability to teach the subject well. Unable to afford hiring a model on his own to practice drawing, he contacted his artist friends whom he knew would be keen to join him. Sim, Chia and fellow Lasalle lecturer Loh Kee Yew, along with artists like Ong Chye Cho, Chew Yew Seng and Keong Hean Keng heeded his call.
This group of artists and amateurs met at a drawing studio in the old Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts
Telok Kurau campus on Saturdays, with support from the College administration. For the first time in history, this gathering provided opportunities for enthusiasts to study the human body live from a posed model. It also enabled exchanging of ideas on figurative art
between members. Group 90 later shifted their weekly drawing sessions to the Stamford Arts Centre on Waterloo Street, and later to LaSalle's premises on Goodman Road. The group continued to grow and attract art enthuasiasts like former chairman of the Lam Soon Group, T. C. Whang, and Sir Roy Calne
who shared the same passion for artistic expression of the human nudity through painting and drawing mediums. Professional artists like the late Dr Earl Lu, Liu Kang
, and the late Dr Ng Eng Teng
joined the Group in 1991.
. This exhibition featured 82 paintings of female nudes by 14 artists, created during the weekly sessions at the Stamford Arts Centre. Figurama was the first show of its kind in the history of Singapore art. The works on display impressed visitors, and received good reviews from art critics. Sabapathy commended on the excellent quality of the works, and their bold expressions It was also at the opening of the show that the group officially adopted the name 'Group 90'. Since then, the group has continued to hold figurative art
exhibitions of works by its members once every two years. Each artshow by the group in the succeeding years has demonstrated not only their commitment to the study of the nude, but also the flowering of various ideas and techniques in different media. Namasivayam, for example, expresses explosive dynamism and 'Michelangelesque' rendering in his charcoal / pastel drawings. Ng Eng Teng
in contrast, expresses with 'silent potency' to achieve a sensual yet strong sculptural form; a reflection to his bronze sculpture works that Ng is known for. Founder-member Loh Kee Yew's free flowing lines exude a Zen-like flow in his thoughts, demonstrating high level of mastery with the ink and pen that is characteristic of his works.
The exhibition Nuphoria held in the year 2000, generated interest and responses from both the local press and the public. Among the viewers attending that artshow, students from junior college
s and Polytechnic were seen sketching the artworks on display, interacting and fielding questions to the artists present at the show. This unprecedented public interest in nude art broke the taboo associated with the art form - something that the Group had hoped for since their inception.
Background
Before 1987, Singapore had no avenues for expressing nude in art. Neither Nanyang Academy of Fine ArtsNanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts is one of the oldest and most established tertiary arts institution in Singapore....
nor the Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts
LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts
The LASALLE College of the Arts , formerly LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts, is an arts educational institution in Singapore. It was founded in 1984 by De La Salle brother, Brother Joseph McNally. Currently, LASALLE has design, fine arts, integrated arts, media arts and performing arts faculties...
offerd life drawing classes, and the conservative Singapore art market did not favour nude-themed art for fear of offending those with an aversion for nudity. Only a few artists favoured the depiction of human figure in art, such as Liu Kang
Liu Kang (artist)
Liu Kang was a Singaporean artist famous for his Balinese-themed figurative paintings. He was a founding member of the Singapore Art Society, and was credited with developing the Nanyang style....
, Cheong Soo Pieng
Cheong Soo Pieng
Cheong Soo Pieng was a Singaporean artist who was a pioneer of the Nanyang art style, and a driving force to the development of Modernism in visual art in the early 20th-century Singapore...
, Ng Eng Teng
Ng Eng Teng
Ng Eng Teng , The Grandfather of Singapore Sculpture was a sculptor in Singapore known for his figurative sculptures, many of which are found in public locations around Singapore...
, and contemporary artist Yeo Siak Goon; other artists in Singapore generally favoured landscape art
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
. Even in street scenes, they tried to avoid painting human figures in the scenes. Chia also attributed the lack of interest to the difficult of mastering the discipline, and especially the few models willing to pose in the nude.
Unafazed by negative perceptions, Brother Joseph McNally in 1987 decided to introduce life drawing and painting from a nude model inro the College art curriculum. He appreciated the immense value of knowledge of human anatomy to good draughtsmanship, and urged the then-College art lecturer S. Namaysivayam to instill good foundation training to the students of the College through the subject. Namasivayam, who himself had not drawn a life model since his artschool days in the 1950s, was uncertain about his ability to teach the subject well. Unable to afford hiring a model on his own to practice drawing, he contacted his artist friends whom he knew would be keen to join him. Sim, Chia and fellow Lasalle lecturer Loh Kee Yew, along with artists like Ong Chye Cho, Chew Yew Seng and Keong Hean Keng heeded his call.
This group of artists and amateurs met at a drawing studio in the old Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts
LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts
The LASALLE College of the Arts , formerly LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts, is an arts educational institution in Singapore. It was founded in 1984 by De La Salle brother, Brother Joseph McNally. Currently, LASALLE has design, fine arts, integrated arts, media arts and performing arts faculties...
Telok Kurau campus on Saturdays, with support from the College administration. For the first time in history, this gathering provided opportunities for enthusiasts to study the human body live from a posed model. It also enabled exchanging of ideas on figurative art
Figurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
between members. Group 90 later shifted their weekly drawing sessions to the Stamford Arts Centre on Waterloo Street, and later to LaSalle's premises on Goodman Road. The group continued to grow and attract art enthuasiasts like former chairman of the Lam Soon Group, T. C. Whang, and Sir Roy Calne
Roy Calne
Sir Roy Yorke Calne, FRS, is a British surgeon and pioneer in organ transplantation; he performed the first liver transplantation operation in Europe in 1968. His surgical procedures also laid claim to many other pioneering successes in his career: the world's first liver, heart, and lung...
who shared the same passion for artistic expression of the human nudity through painting and drawing mediums. Professional artists like the late Dr Earl Lu, Liu Kang
Liu Kang (artist)
Liu Kang was a Singaporean artist famous for his Balinese-themed figurative paintings. He was a founding member of the Singapore Art Society, and was credited with developing the Nanyang style....
, and the late Dr Ng Eng Teng
Ng Eng Teng
Ng Eng Teng , The Grandfather of Singapore Sculpture was a sculptor in Singapore known for his figurative sculptures, many of which are found in public locations around Singapore...
joined the Group in 1991.
Figurama art show
On March 15 1991, the art group opened their first public artshow Figurama, organized by the Nrityalaya Aesthetics Society at the gallery of the Nanyang Academy of Fine ArtsNanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts is one of the oldest and most established tertiary arts institution in Singapore....
. This exhibition featured 82 paintings of female nudes by 14 artists, created during the weekly sessions at the Stamford Arts Centre. Figurama was the first show of its kind in the history of Singapore art. The works on display impressed visitors, and received good reviews from art critics. Sabapathy commended on the excellent quality of the works, and their bold expressions It was also at the opening of the show that the group officially adopted the name 'Group 90'. Since then, the group has continued to hold figurative art
Figurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
exhibitions of works by its members once every two years. Each artshow by the group in the succeeding years has demonstrated not only their commitment to the study of the nude, but also the flowering of various ideas and techniques in different media. Namasivayam, for example, expresses explosive dynamism and 'Michelangelesque' rendering in his charcoal / pastel drawings. Ng Eng Teng
Ng Eng Teng
Ng Eng Teng , The Grandfather of Singapore Sculpture was a sculptor in Singapore known for his figurative sculptures, many of which are found in public locations around Singapore...
in contrast, expresses with 'silent potency' to achieve a sensual yet strong sculptural form; a reflection to his bronze sculpture works that Ng is known for. Founder-member Loh Kee Yew's free flowing lines exude a Zen-like flow in his thoughts, demonstrating high level of mastery with the ink and pen that is characteristic of his works.
The exhibition Nuphoria held in the year 2000, generated interest and responses from both the local press and the public. Among the viewers attending that artshow, students from junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
s and Polytechnic were seen sketching the artworks on display, interacting and fielding questions to the artists present at the show. This unprecedented public interest in nude art broke the taboo associated with the art form - something that the Group had hoped for since their inception.
Members
- Chia Wai Hon
- Choy Weng YangChoy Weng YangChoy Weng Yang is a Singaporean artist, curator and arts writer and a proponent of the art fraternity in post-independent Singapore. His literary contributions on post-modern arts in Singapore, had helped shaped the contemporary art scene in Singapore....
- Earl Lu
- Joseph McNally
- Liu KangLiu Kang (artist)Liu Kang was a Singaporean artist famous for his Balinese-themed figurative paintings. He was a founding member of the Singapore Art Society, and was credited with developing the Nanyang style....
- Ng Eng TengNg Eng TengNg Eng Teng , The Grandfather of Singapore Sculpture was a sculptor in Singapore known for his figurative sculptures, many of which are found in public locations around Singapore...
- Roy CalneRoy CalneSir Roy Yorke Calne, FRS, is a British surgeon and pioneer in organ transplantation; he performed the first liver transplantation operation in Europe in 1968. His surgical procedures also laid claim to many other pioneering successes in his career: the world's first liver, heart, and lung...
- S. Namasivayam
Major exhibitions
| Dates | Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| March 15 - March 16, 1991 |
Figurama | Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts is one of the oldest and most established tertiary arts institution in Singapore.... (NAFA) Gallery Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
| March 18 - March 22, 1992 |
The Figure In Art In the Singapore Context | Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts is one of the oldest and most established tertiary arts institution in Singapore.... (NAFA) Gallery Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
| March 17 - March 19, 1994 |
ART of the Nude | Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts is one of the oldest and most established tertiary arts institution in Singapore.... (NAFA) Gallery Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
| July 17 - March 21, 1998 |
Image Nude | Orchard Point Exhibition Hall Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
| April 14 - April 19, 2000 |
Nuphoria 2000 | The Gallery @ The Paragon The Paragon Paragon is an upmarket shopping centre on Orchard Road, Singapore.The 18-storey shopping centre was designed by Kumpulan Senireka Sendirian Berhad, a Malaysian architectural firm. It was redeveloped in the late 1990s, transforming it into a modern glass-covered building... Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
| 18 December – 24 December 2002 |
nuSense: An exhibition of drawings and paintings of the nude by members of Group 90 |
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts is one of the oldest and most established tertiary arts institution in Singapore.... (NAFA) Gallery Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
| 8 February – 14 February 2008 |
Nuspiration | Bhaskar's Arts Academy Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |