Exploring Southeast Asia with Liu Kang: Master of Colour

Written by Eva Wong Nava and Jeffrey Say
paperback

Exploring Southeast Asia with… is a series of narrative non-fiction picture books for young readers. Each book will focus on one national artist, taking readers through the country’s history, the artist’ place within its history, and how art is a reflection of our times. Each book contains critical thinking questions comprising visual thinking strategies (VTS), an enquiry-based method to encourage children to think about the content and formal structure of the artworks.

The main character in this story is LIU KANG. Readers explore a segment of Singapore’s history through Liu Kang’s seminal work, Life By The River. The story takes readers through a slice of Liu Kang’s life in Singapore before the founding of the Nanyang style, an art movement that has become embedded in the art history of Singapore. Readers will see how Liu Kang struggled to find artistic inspiration in Malaya and how a trip to Bali changed his mind and perception of home. Weaved into the story is that of Singapore seen through the lens of the artist. Children will learn about pre-independence Singapore, its landscape, and people.