The Straits Times | Rediscover Singapore artist Solamalay Namasivayam, who pioneered nude art, in book and exhibition

SINGAPORE – In 1980s Singapore, when nude life drawing was taboo, a little-known pioneer artist insisted on its practice at the then-four-year-old Lasalle College of the Arts.

Few locals dared to pose unclothed, so he looked to backpackers staying in hostels willing to disrobe for some petty cash. His deep, booming voice, along with his way of talking to a person like he or she was the only one that mattered, would more often than not successfully persuade models of his pure intentions.