I’m fascinated by the intersections between art and politics. Sure, some crazy folks might protest that art should be apolitical, but that makes no sense in the tradition of contemporary Southeast Asian art, as the ongoing exhibition “Negotiating Home, History and Nation” shows.

And I’ve recently discovered one seldom talked-about connection right here on home ground. Teo Eng Seng is the elder brother of the politician and former political detainee Teo Soh Lung.

In case you don’t know anything about Teo Eng Seng, you can read all about him on his NORA or Infopedia profile. He’s the foremost artist of Singapore’s “second generation”: the Europe-educated artists who came into prominence in the ’70s and ’80s, introducing the language of abstraction into our culture. His contemporaries include Ng Eng Teng, Chua Ek Kay, Iskandar Jalil, Anthony Poon, and of course our good friend Tan Oe Pang.

His works often take on a crude appearance, challenging our aesthetic expectations. Though well versed in painting and photography, he’s most well known for his sculptures and 3D works, like “The Net”, a representation of the Singapore River:

…and “We’re Happy, Are You Happy?”, which has been named one of the National Heritage Board’s ten treasured items in its museums:

Many of these are created using “paperdyesculpt”, a technique of his own invention.

His younger sister Soh Lung didn’t choose art as her career. Instead, she was a successful lawyer, who helped to defend Workers’ Party MP JB Jeyaratnam following his successful election in 1984. She was also involved in trying to set up free legal counsel for defendants who had no money to hire their own lawyers.

She was detained under the Internal Security Act in from 21 May to 26 September 1987 as part of Operation Spectrum. 24 people were held, including playwrights and Catholic social workers. Despite their protestations of innocence and a general lack of evidence, they were accused of being part of a “Marxist conspiracy”, and forced, under torture and threat, to sign statements and appear on television confessing to a plot to overthrow the government.

Soh Lung was one of a group of these detainees who came forward later to issue a press statement that they had made these confessions under duress and torture. For this, she was detained for two years under the ISA, from 1988 to 1990.

The full story’s been published in her memoir, Beyond the Blue Gate.

I’ve spoken to Soh Lung at the SDP rallies. She’s remarked on how much trouble her brother, Eng Seng, gave the authorities. He’d just received his Cultural Medallion in 1986, so he was already of some standing, but he was completely prepared for the fact that it might be taken from him for his defiance.

Eng Seng argued with the guards at Whitley Prison every time he came. When he and a group of 50 others were called for questioning by the police for singing Christmas carols outside the prison gates, he made a mockery of the interrogation. He even served some time in jail for physically struggling with the guards at one point.

I might not like all your artwork, Mr Teo, but after reading this book my respect for you has risen to the roof.

I’m wondering if your works should be read as political art. Your “Five Nails”, for instance – are they representative of the Buddha-like palm of the government, which will catch us no matter how much we try to outwit them?

It’s tough to figure anything out from my laptop desk – I’m not even sure which of your works were created before 1987, and which after. No-one can tell me you don’t give a shit about this, though; not when you actually staged an exhibition of your work together with your sister’s prison drawings in your private gallery.

(When you’re in solitary confinement, there’s not much to draw except for vermin.)

Teo Eng Seng’s recently published a book of his own: “Teo Eng Seng: Art and Thoughts”, edited by TK Sabapathy. I haven’t read it yet: the library hasn’t got a copy yet, and it’s S$57, so I’m not sure if I want to buy one for myself.

In the meantime, those of you in Yuhua SMC should watch out for this cool lady.

And as for those of you who’re activists and/or little siblings of acclaimed artists – just look out for yourselves.