SINGAPOREAN
1927 — 2020

Born in 1927, the late Chen Cheng Mei is a second-generation Singapore female artist known for her whimsical paintings, prints, and sketches. Lim Hak Tai, Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Wen Hsi, and Chui Ta Tee count as her mentors. Chen is most remembered as the woman behind the Ten Men Art Group; she first initiated a trip to peninsular Malaysia and this later evolved into a collective of Singapore artists that travelled widely across Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and Indonesia, and wider Asia in search of inspiration for their artistic practice. A widely travelled artist, Chen also made study trips beyond Asia to Africa, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific. These voyages had a tremendous impact on her palette and artistic direction. Chen’s artworks were exhibited in a solo exhibition at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore, in 2014, as well as an exhibition at the National Gallery Singapore in 2022.