Art and the Environment in Southeast Asia: Environment as Contested Space

Explore how art functions as a form of critique on environmental issues

This course examines how artists from Southeast Asia in the 1970s responded to environmental issues and concerns through their works. Some of their works functioned as a direct means of protest, advocating for immediate action against the exploitative depletion and degradation of natural resources. The inclusion of unconventional materials including text, organic and found objects, photographs and even the body became powerful tools in engaging with these urgent concerns. Through understanding the strategies that these artists used, we will learn how they engaged with the environment as a site of contestation, consequently reshaping society’s relationship with their surroundings.

Online Courses on Southeast Asian Art

Developed by National Gallery Singapore, Online Courses on Southeast Asian Art introduces audiences to the richness of art from the region.

At your own pace, journey with artists, curators and researchers through insightful videos, short readings, and resources. We also invite you to exchange ideas with our global community of curious learners.

This course is designed for those intrigued by the intersections of art, society, and the environment in Southeast Asia, and how artists engaged with these themes as methods of resistance through their work and practices in the 1970s.

We’ll take a thematic approach, immersing you in the era through a variety of resources. Expect to analyse compelling artworks, delve into artist interviews and biographies, and explore how these artistic expressions intersected with the social landscape of the time.

• Welcome to the course!
• Introduction
• “Speak our conscience”
• Nirmala Dutt
• “Fine art needs emancipation”
• Siti Adiyati
• "Make questions, not art"
• Tang Da Wu
• "Make our own models"
• Santiago Bose
• Where do we go from here?
• Conclusion