Unfettered ink

Unfettered ink

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.

Client

National Gallery Singapore

Services

Book & Publication

Featured in

Asia-Pacific Design No.13

Awarded

D&AD Awards 2018 (UK) —Wood Pencil DFA Design for Asia Awards 2017 (HK) —Merit Award Golden Pin Design Awards 2017 (TW) —Design Mark

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.

Unfettered ink

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.

Unfettered ink
Unfettered ink
Unfettered ink
Unfettered ink
Unfettered ink
Unfettered ink
Unfettered ink
Unfettered ink
Unfettered ink