Tun Win Aung and Wah Nu - The Squares
Richard Koh Fine Art (RKFA) is proud to announce The Squares, the first solo exhibition at RKFA Singapore by the Burmese artist duo Tun Win Aung (b. 1975) and Wah Nu (b. 1977). Running from 11 January to 15 February 2025, this groundbreaking exhibition will coincide with Singapore Art Week (SAW) 2025, one of the region’s most anticipated art events.
These objects serve as tangible representations of our memories, rediscovered piece by piece, little by little. --- Tun Win Aung and Wah Nu
The Squares presents a new series from the artists’ ongoing project, Thousand Pieces of White (begun 2009), a reflective body of work that delves into three decades of personal and political history in Myanmar. Drawing from old Burmese magazines that were censored under the country’s authoritarian rule, Tun Win Aung and Wah Nu transform these once-restricted materials into minimalist abstractions. Pages featuring silver and black redactions have been repurposed into large-scale bichromatic paintings, where layers of censorship are given new life as striking visual compositions. These works not only resurrect the remnants of the past but also challenge the viewer to contemplate the complex relationship between memory, history, and erasure.
White Piece #0255: Rubbed Out, Ilya Ehrenburg, 2024, Acrylic on magazine, 23.5 x 34.7 x 1.8 cm
Another highlight of the exhibition is the inclusion of the restored 1973 film Tender are the Feet (Ché Phawa Daw Nu Nu), by acclaimed Burmese director Maung Wunna. The artists have intervened in the film to address missing censored scenes, creating a palimpsestic work that reflects the fragmentation of Myanmar’s cultural history. This artistic intervention highlights the impermanence and manipulation of memory, while also paying homage to the film’s significance in Burmese cinematic history.
White Piece #0187: Inked Over, Min Myint Zin, 2017, Acrylic and collage on canvas, 34.3 x 28 cm
Curated by Louis Ho, The Squares offers a poignant micro-history of Myanmar’s recent past, exploring how censorship has shaped not just political discourse but also the visual language of its citizens. The exhibition serves as both a remembrance and a reinterpretation of the material traces of that era, providing audiences with a deeply evocative and thought-provoking experience.
White Piece #0196: Inked Over, Sar Yay Thu, 2017, Acrylic and collage on canvas, 34.3 x 45.7 cm
About the Artist
Wah Nu (b.1977, Yangon, Myanmar) began her artistic activities after studying music at the University of Culture, Yangon. She currently works in various media, primarily painting and film. Wah Nu has been creating pop - style paintings through which she expresses her personal emotions, employing clouds and foliage as motifs. In tandem with painting, Wah Nu also creates films with a distinctive floating sense that evokes daydreaming.
Tun Win Aung (b. 1975, Ywalut, Myanmar) works across photography, video, and installation, focusing on local histories and environments. He often collaborates with Wah Nu on large-scale projects. Their works have been shown at venues like the Guggenheim Museum, New York (2013), and 21st Century Museum, Kanazawa (2011), as well as biennials like the Singapore Biennale (2016).
Both Wah Nu and Tun Win Aung are currently living and working in Yangon.
Portrait of TUN WIN AUNG & WAH NU. Photo courtesy of artist.
