Tang Da Wu, born in 1943, is widely regarded as the central figure in the development of ‘alternative’ art in Singapore. A graduate from Goldsmith College, University of London with a Master of Art, he led a group of younger artists to establish The Artists Village in Singapore in 1988, where performance, installation and painting took place. Since the late 1990s, Tang has been working on community projects that deal with memory, history as well as environmental issues. In 1999, Tang was awarded the Arts and Culture Prize at the 10th Fukuoka Asian Culture Prizes and in 2007, he was one of four artists who represented Singapore at the Venice Biennale.In ‘Monument for Seub Nakhasathien', Tang makes a direct reference to political developments in Thailand where the struggle is depicted as an uphill movement against the tide. Ordinary objects – washing board, paper boat, waves – already imbued with their own specific nature, histories and meanings, are combined to suggest further readings and concepts.
