Padang Spotlights #3: Lai Foong Moi

About this episode

This episode explores the life and legacy of artist Lai Foong Moi through interviews and archival research.

Welcome to Padang Spotlights, a series of special episodes uncovering the rich histories of Southeast Asian artists and art spaces through archives and exclusive interviews. In this spotlight, a quiet encounter with "Crossing " (1964) at the National Gallery Singapore leads curator Teo Hui Min into a years-long search into the life of Lai Foong Moi (b. 1931, d. 1994) — the first Malayan-born woman to hold solo exhibitions in Singapore and the Federation of Malaya. Celebrated in her time yet little remembered today, Lai’s story reveals the delicate interplay of forces that shape an artist’s journey. Accompanied by conversations with her former student, artist Salleh bin Japar , and her contemporary, artist Yeo Hoe Koon, we trace Lai’s path from her promising return from art training in France to her later years on the margins of public memory. We invite you to consider her story not just in terms of artistic innovation or acclaim but as a reflection on the ambition, negotiation, and uncertainties that define an artist’s life and legacy. Researcher, Host & Co-editor: Teo Hui Min Co-editors & Producers: Adele Tan, Kelysha Cheah Kassim Audio production, Music & Sound…

People in this episode

Host: Teo Hui Min

Guests: Salleh bin Japar, Yeo Hoe Koon

Topics covered

• Southeast Asian art
• artist biography
• cultural history
• art exhibitions
• memory and legacy

Keywords

• Lai Foong Moi
• Southeast Asian artists
• art history
• National Gallery Singapore
• Crossing
• solo exhibitions
• cultural memory

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Gallery Singapore

Books & works: Crossing