Chen Cheng Mei, Kota Bahru Market, Kelantan, Malaysia, 1962
Oil on canvas
48 x 74.5 cm, 61 x 88 x 3.5 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good, surface accretion visible, with hairline craquelure and paintloss in certain areas of the work.
Certificate of Authenticity from the Estate of Chen Cheng Mei available.
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Chen Cheng Mei (Singaporean, 1927–2020) was a trailblazing artist whose quiet, resolute presence marked her as one of the few Singaporean women of her generation to sustain a lifelong artistic practice. A graduate of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1954, she studied under Cheong Soo Pieng and Lim Hak Tai, spending weekends sketching outdoors with them. Chen was part of the Ten Men Art Group and travelled across Southeast Asia with them, but it was after the group’s reconfiguration that she journeyed more extensively throughout not only Asia, but Africa and the Americas.
Chen's paintings, etchings, and prints are marked by a quiet intensity. While her works appear simple or naive, they reflect a sophisticated understanding of texture and form, honed through printmaking and a deep engagement with literature and the natural world. Chen’s ethos was shaped by her belief that culture is the backbone of a country. Her works form a personal visual diary, documenting lives across regions with quiet honesty. Often working outside the spotlight and at an intimate scale, Chen reminded us that art is not just about seeing, but feeling.
Bustling with women, both vendors and shoppers, this scene of the Kota Bahru market captures the energetic pulse of a morning pasar, where greetings are exchanged and hundreds of transactions unfold. The composition is densely populated with female figures, reflecting not only their central role in trade but also the unseen labour that sustains households and communities. The market, after all, is where sustenance begins—where food is first sourced for the family table. A portion of this work appears in the background of a photograph of Chen in her studio, circa 1965. Image courtesy of the family of the artist.
(Photographed in March 2025)