The Equator Art Society was an artists' group founded in 1956 in Singapore, known for promoting social realist art.[1][2] The Equator Art Society sought to represent the realities and struggles of the masses, depicting Singapore's working classes and the poor often through the use of portraiture painting, woodcut prints, and sculpture.[1] Founding society members and leaders included artists such as Lim Yew Kuan, Lai Kui Fang, Chua Mia Tee, Ong Kim Seng and Koeh Sia Yong.[1][3]
Active during and following the period of the Malayan Emergency, the Equator Art Society was notably anti-colonial and nationalistic, with its members often critical of the colonial government and supportive of the formulation of a distinct Malayan consciousness.[4] The Equator Art Society was de-registered on 11 January 1974,[3] with social realist art declining in Singapore in the 1970s.[1][5]
- ^ a b c d Yeo, Alicia Kay Ling (2016). "Equator Art Society". NLB Infopedia. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ Kwok, Kian Chow (1996). Channels & Confluences: A History of Singapore Art. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum. p. 71. ISBN 9810074883.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
:2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:14was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Lim, Cheng Tju (2005). ""Fragments of the Past": Political Prints of Post-war Singapore". The Heritage Journal. 2 – via Asia-Studies.com.