The onus of universal (read: Euro-American and Anglocentric) translatability is the bane of regionally specific art. “The Tailors and the Mannequins: Chen Cheng Mei and You Khin,” curated by Roger Nelson, conjectures alternatives to this chronic imposition. It is the inaugural exhibition of the National Gallery Singapore’s Dalam Southeast Asia project space—dalam is a Malay word that can mean “inside,” “deep,” or “within”—dedicated to underrepresented art-historical narratives with an emphasis on works from the collection.

The two artists make an odd pair, and connections between them are oblique.