
Unfettered ink: The Writings of Chen Chong Swee
Bilingual book design for a collection of writings by Chen Chong Swee, a pioneering figure in Nanyang-style watercolor painting.
Published by the National Gallery Singapore, the publication brings together the artist’s essays, anecdotes, and discourses, offering insight into his intellectual and artistic legacy.

Designed as a bilingual edition, the book balances dual-language content with clarity and elegance. A key feature lies in the fore-edge design—where a series of Chen’s sketches are subtly hidden and revealed only when the pages are gently pressed open. This quiet intervention creates a tactile and visual dialogue between text and image, enriching the reader’s encounter with both the literary and visual dimensions of the artist’s work.








