Born in 1943 in Singapore, Tang Da Wu is an influential figure in the country’s development of contemporary art practices. He was educated at Birmingham Polytechnic’s School of Art, St. Martins School of Art, and Goldsmiths, University of London between 1970 and 1986. In 1988, he founded The Artists Village, one of Singapore’s longest-lasting artist collectives. His practice crosses different disciplines and is characterized by concerns for social and environmental issues. He performed extensively throughout UK in the 1980s and 1990s and has participated in many exhibitions such as the 1st Fukuoka Asian Art Triennial (1999) and the 3rd Gwangju Biennale (2000). He represented Singapore in the 2007 Venice Biennale.‘Yellow Couple Kena White Spots’ is atypical of Tang’s later works which appear more localized (Singapore) in their references. The word ‘kena’ (Malay: subject to) in the title is a common auxiliary marker of Singlish (English-based Singapore patois). In the painting, a Chinese couple (indicated by yellow) is afflicted with white spots, while the background reflects washed-out colours of the Union Jack. There is great unease and disjuncture within the painting and yet it is painted with Tang's characteristic humour.
