The possibilities of conservation: technical studies of Cheong Soo Pieng paintings

For various historical and training reasons, conservation has remained an appendix to art education, art collecting and art making. Conservators are often viewed as time travellers and doctors whose objectives are to arrest time, provide solutions when damage arises and make the old look new again. This observation that conservation as a practice has been reduced to a problem-solver, is at best satisfying and at worst dogmatic in its approach.

Given the lack of continuity in conservation research conducted in Southeast Asia, let alone Singapore, it appears like the contribution of conservation to our understanding of art, is for the most part, unimportant. Principally founded on science, the conservation discipline is multifold and essentially concerns itself with the materiality (or lack of, in some cases) of objects. By looking at past conditions seen not as damage, but of change, it guides us towards a deeper understanding of the artist choice of materials and the techniques employed, as well as a knowledge base to better existing conservation practices.

Serving as the framework for this presentation, we will look at the preliminary findings from technical studies of Cheong Soo Pieng's paintings, including a series of multispectral imaging techniques and advanced material analysis. The very experimental nature of his paintings could only mean that the materials and techniques employed are never as straightforward. This presentation hopes to recalibrate our understanding of what conservation is and know that we have the possibility to engage in a discourse that can shape our understanding of art history.

About the speaker

Diana Tay is a doctoral researcher with the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne. Her research on Singaporean oil paintings (1940s - 70s) builds technical and material literacy in hopes to better conservation practices and contribute to art historical literature. She holds a Master of Cultural Materials Conservation (2014) specializing in paintings and contemporary art conservation of Southeast Asian artworks. With ten years of experience at the Heritage Conservation Centre Singapore, Diana has also worked together with international institutions such as TATE Britain, the National Museum of Philippines, Queensland Art Gallery as well as with contemporary artists and private collectors, to conserve, preserve and better understand their collections