The Rice Growers

ArtistTang Da Wu
Year1988
Mediumacrylic and oil on canvas
Dimentions240.9×168.9×-
CountrySingapore
Collection no.121
ExplanationThis work was painted by Tang Da Wu shortly after his return to Singapore in 1988, following his nearly two decades of study in the UK. Depicted behind a rice bowl and pair of chopsticks are two figures falling upside down while screaming. Taking as its subject rice, the staple food of the Chinese, the work raises questions as to how some people are starving while others squander their money on gourmet Chinese cuisine in Singapore, which has transformed into a mass consumer society. This kind of strong social message is a distinctive feature of Da Wu’s work from this period.

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