Tang Da Wu

Tang Da Wu (born in 1943)

Tang Da Wu is a leading contemporary artist not only in Singapore, but also in Southeast Asia. After living in the United Kingdom for about twenty years, the artist returned to Singapore in 1988. Since then, he has explored new styles of expression by combining installation and performance art with strong social messages. He founded “The Artists Village” for collaboration and exhibition, and made his effort to lead the younger generation of Singaporean artists. Tang Da Wu questions his identity as Chinese Singaporean, and raises the awareness of the environmental and social issues of our time through participatory performance and installations of everyday objects.

Tang Da Wu’s achievements have been highly recognized. He received the 10th Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize in Arts and Culture in 1999. That same year, he stayed in Fukuoka for six months as a part of the art exchange program of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum. During his residency, the artist conducted various performances and project-based works that involved the people in Fukuoka.

This section displays a part of the “Tang Da Wu” exhibition (Asian Artist Today Series) held at the Fukuoka Art Museum in 1991 prior to the Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize, and video documentations of his performance during the 1991 exhibition.