Raden Saleh and Juan Luna's agile navigation of these competing positions resulted in dramatic paintings that have been read as allegories of anti- colonialism in their respective homelands of Indonesia and the Philippines. From Orientalist hunting scenes to realist portrayals of the working class, their works trace stylistic shifts in painting through the 19th century, while re ecting the cultural and social dynamics of this period of enormous change.

The exhibition A Fact Has No Appearance explores the impact of new ideas on art in Southeast Asia during the 1970s through the case studies of three artists: Johnny Manahan, Redza Piyadasa, and Tan Teng-Kee, all of whom have been recognised for breaking ground in Southeast Asian modern art. With essays that deliberate upon the impact of their works during the 1970s as well as a rich documentation of their works and archival materials, this catalogue presents a concise study of the three artists and also offers insight into how conceptual art practices took hold in this region.