Ian’s Research Club 06: Roger Nelson

On ‘The Tailors and The Mannequins: Chen Cheng Mei and You Khin’

Ian Tee and Roger Nelson. Photo by Woong Soak Teng.

Hello and welcome to Ian’s Research Club! Today, I am at the National Gallery Singapore to speak with art historian and curator Roger Nelson. His research approaches modern and contemporary arts of Southeast Asia from interdisciplinary perspectives, with a focus on Cambodia and Laos as points of intersection. In 2019, Roger joined the National Gallery Singapore (NGS) as curator.

In this episode, we discuss his exhibition The Tailors and The Mannequins: Chen Cheng Mei and You Khin and the Gallery’s new project space Dalam Southeast Asia. 

Click here to listen on Soundcloud. You can also find the podcast by searching “Ian’s Research Club” on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The Tailors and The Mannequins, 2021-22, exhibition view at Dalam Southeast Asia. Image courtesy of National Gallery Singapore.

The Tailors and The Mannequins, 2021-22, exhibition view at Dalam Southeast Asia. Image courtesy of National Gallery Singapore.

The Tailors and The Mannequins, 2021-22, exhibition view at Dalam Southeast Asia. Image courtesy of National Gallery Singapore.

The Tailors and The Mannequins, 2021-22, exhibition view at Dalam Southeast Asia. Image courtesy of National Gallery Singapore.

You Khin, Untitled (The Chinese Man Eats The Cambodian Soup), 1975, oil on canvas, 46 x 38cm. Collection of National Gallery Singapore.

You Khin, Untitled (Public Scribes), 1993, oil on canvas, 65 x 54cm. Collection of National Gallery Singapore.

The Tailors and The Mannequins, 2021-22, exhibition view at Dalam Southeast Asia. Image courtesy of National Gallery Singapore.

Chen Cheng Mei, Laundry (India), 2008, etching on paper, 47.5 x 60.5cm. Collection of the artist’s family, Singapore.

The Tailors and The Mannequins, 2021-22, exhibition view at Dalam Southeast Asia. Image courtesy of National Gallery Singapore.