Koeh Sia Yong was born in Singapore in 1938. He graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1958, majoring in Western painting. He was a pivotal figure of the Equator Art Society (1956-72), which expounded realist art with the anti-colonial sentiment. The society's exposure to Soviet Realist art literature further directed this artistic vision. Formed in Singapore in 1956 and with members like Lee Boon Wang, Chua Mia Tee, and Ong Kim Seng, the society was most active during the 1960s when Singapore was going through major political changes. Artists in the group were primarily concerned with depicting the masses, especially the poorer classes, in addition to promoting nation-building. Koeh believed that everyone was entitled to accCT Lim, "Fragments of the past: Political prints of post-war Singapore" in The Heritage Journal, 2 (1), 22-47, 2005...