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.
Image courtesy of Yeo Workshop. Landscaped Nude 2002, Solamalay Namasivayam (2002). Photography by Puah Chin Kok (Snap-Ni Snap-Tu Studio).
