‘Clouds’ by Wah Nu at Richard Koh Fine Art

Myanmar artist solo at RKFA Singapore
by Sara Lau

Born in Yangon, Myanmar in 1977, Wah Nu is a multidisciplinary artist with a career spanning more than two decades. Alongside her partner, Tun Win Aung, the duo incorporates videos, paintings, performance and sculpture into installations that touch on the tumultuous nature of Burmese histories, often addressing socio-political issues such as poverty, censorship, and the fight for democracy. Large-scale works such as ‘Blurring the Boundaries’ (2007-2009) and ‘1000 Pieces (of White)’ (2009–) have found particular success in the biennial circuit as well as institutions such as The Guggenheim Museum, shedding light onto their once isolated home nation.

Wah Nu, ‘Cloud #005-045’, 2005 – 2009, acrylic on canvas, 46 x 61cm. Image courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art.

Their collaborative practice usually consists of long-term projects based on continuous research and complex discussions, often with changes in processes and objectives. In-between these projects, both artists carve out time to pursue their individual practice. “Although we have worked together for a long time, it does not mean that we are of the same mind or work with the same opinion,” Wah Nu asserts. “We are there to support each other unconditionally.” Her solo endeavours, such as painting and writing, are a way for her to re-centre herself, away from the burdens that come with collaborations. On her own, she is able to create at her own pace and make decisions autonomously without having to compromise. In her words: “All these projects are attempts of gaining my personal satisfaction, so I still retain my individuality to momentarily escape a situation of always needing to “work together” in creating artworks.”

Wah Nu, ‘Cloud #016-100’, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 114 x 139.5cm. Image courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art.

‘Clouds’, her latest solo exhibition in Singapore with Richard Koh Fine Art, reflects this sentiment of releasing burdens and focusing on one’s inner mind and being. The act of painting also functions as a relaxing exercise for the artist, where she gets to remove herself from the world and focus solely on the act of putting brush to canvas. Wah Nu states that she is “not a painter”, the medium was chosen as it was the simplest and lightest approach she could find to release her tension. Her clouds float in a single sea of colour with no distractions in the background, invoking a sense of transcendence beyond the material realm. “They are not only plain clouds, but something that possibly encompasses the entire world,” says Wah Nu.

Wah Nu, ‘Cloud #022-113’, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 114 x 139.5cm. Image courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art.

At first glance, the paintings may recall the styling of pop art made popular in the 50s in Britain and the USA. However, within the context of Wah Nu and Tun Win Aung’s practice, where elements of manga are frequently used, the paintings are more reminiscent of the Japanese superflat aesthetic, which is graphic and two-dimensional. Wah Nu makes this style entirely her own through her unique colour choices. ‘Cloud #005-045’ features a striking contrast between fuchsia and turquoise, while ‘Cloud #016-100’ and ‘Cloud #022-113’ mixes muted tones and neon shades to create a high contrast between the subject and background. Coupled with the free placement of the clouds, both colour and form give the clouds their buoyancy.

Wah Nu, ‘Cloud and the Sea #017-114’, 2019 – 2020, acrylic on canvas, 183 x 274.3cm. Image courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art.

‘Cloud and the Sea #017-114’ is one of the more ambitious works in the exhibition, both in size and composition. The clouds are coloured in varying shades of green and layered on top of each other. They are arranged to give a sense of dynamic movement as opposed to the static floating in other paintings. As the clouds move around one another, a single strip of an orange gradient cuts across the bottom of the painting, its hue reminiscent of the sun setting above a sea horizon. The subtle white and yellow outlines around the clouds add to this sunset effect, seemingly reflecting light.

For Wah Nu, the paintings are primarily for her own mental well-being. In showcasing them, the artist wants to give viewers a chance to linger at their own pace, to enjoy and immerse themselves in the artworks without the contextual weight of the installations within which her paintings usually reside. “It is akin to sitting in an armchair on a spring evening and staring at the falling leaves,” says Wah Nu. “Or seeing the sunlight from the shade in autumn afternoons. Or sitting on the beach and watching the sea.” Wah Nu’s ethereal paintings provide a moment of respite from the barrage of constant stimuli in an increasingly complex world.


‘Clouds’ by Wah Nu runs at Richard Koh Fine Art in Singapore from 3rd – 25th April 2020. Viewing is by appointment only.