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Solamalay Namasivayam

SOLAMALAY NAMASIVAYAM

Points for Re-Articulation: On Life Drawing in Singapore Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore
Earl Lu Gallery, LASALLE College of the Arts 3 December 2025–29 January 2026
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Press Release

Solamalay Namasivayam (1926–2013) was a pioneering artist, educator and central figure in the development of figurative art in Singapore.

As a founding member of Singaporean art collective Group 90 alongside LASALLE’s founder Brother Joseph McNally, Namasivayam introduced life drawing as an essential mode of sensing and making across the world to both Singapore and LASALLE College of the Arts, where the aesthetic and pedagogical impact of this practice has matured since 1987.

In collaboration with Yeo Workshop, the McNally School of Fine Arts celebrates Namasivayam’s legacy as a pioneer of figure drawing in Singapore and honours his generosity as an arts educator at LASALLE by presenting an exemplary range of his artwork and sketchbooks in Earl Lu Gallery to mark the end of SG60.

A connected life drawing showcase in Project Space opens Singapore Art Week 2026 by featuring current undergraduate student work and Singapore-based alumnae-artists’ creations that follow in and evolve from Namasivayam’s footsteps.

Both sites of this exhibition encourage everyone to experience life and drawing anew through life drawing as a fundamental form of re-articulation that can re-shape forces and re-configure fields in and beyond the arts.

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About the Artist

Solamalay Namasivayam was a pioneer generation artist, educator and a central figure to the development of nude painting and figurative art in Singapore, as a founding member of Singaporean art collective, Group 90, which included other prominent artists such as Brother Joseph McNally, Mr. Chia Wai Hon and Mr. Sim Tong Khern. He was a Colombo Plan Scholar and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in Figure Painting/Drawing (1961). He lectured at the Singapore National Institute of Education from 1962 to 1981, at the Singapore Educational Media Service (Ministry of Education) from 1982 to 1985, and at LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts as a Fine Arts and Specialist Lecturer in Figure Drawing from 1987 to 2001. At LASALLE, he introduced ’‘Life Drawing’’ as a subject into the Fine Arts Curriculum in 1987. His works are collected by several private collections in Singapore, United Kingdom, Japan and, America.

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About the Gallery

A curatorial hub for experimental contemporary art and pedagogy at the heart of Singapore’s city campus.

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Earl Lu Gallery, LASALLE College of the Arts
Opening Hours
Monday – Saturday
12 – 7pm

Closed Saturday, Sunday, and Public Holidays
(1)
Singapore LASALLE College of the Arts, 1 McNally Street
Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore contemporary art institution in Singapore
Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore
LASALLE College of the Arts, 1 McNally Street, Singapore, Singapore
+65 6496 5000
http://www.lasalle.edu.sg/institute-of-contemporary-arts-singapore

Opening hours
Monday – Saturday
12 – 7pm

Closed Saturday, Sunday, and Public Holidays
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