Frames in Focus

Gretchen Liu retraces the 1952 Bali journey of four pioneer artists through 1,000 unseen photographs taken by one of them—her father-in-law, Liu Kang

- By Hashirin Nurin Hashimi. Portrait by Frenchescar Lim

The opening image in the book, Bali 1952: Through the Lens of Liu Kang, depicts the titular artist directing his Rolleiflex f/3.5 camera toward a large mirror, while he stood with fellow artists Cheong Soo Pieng— who was also holding a camera— Chen Wen Hsi and Luo Ming, effectively producing what might be described in contemporary terms as a group self-portrait, or “wefie”.

“What strikes me is how happy they look,” says author Gretchen Liu, daughter-in-law of the late Liu Kang. The photograph was taken in eastern Bali, on the verandah of the Dutch-style Maskerdam building within the Puri Agung Karangasem royal palace—a structure that beautifully blends Balinese and Chinese architectural elements.

“Their big smiles suggest the trip was a success. You can see a sense of satisfaction on their faces—and it’s clear they were having a good time.”

Those familiar with Singapore's modern art history would have heard about “the Bali trip”, as the artworks produced after the trip have long been considered a major milestone. But little is known about the journey of the four pioneering artists— Liu Kang, Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Wen Hsi, and Chen Chong Swee (who was not in the aforementioned photograph)—who travelled to Java and Bali in 1952 in search of new artistic perspectives.