Richard Koh Fine Art (RKFA) is pleased to present new works by Singaporean artist Samuel Xun (b. 1994) at S.E.A. Focus 2026. Situated within the curated framework of S.E.A. Focus at ART SG, the presentation highlights recent developments in Xun’s practice that deepens his exploration of identity, visibility and materiality.
The works on view emerge in the wake of Welcome Back, Boo (2025), Xun’s recent solo exhibition with the gallery, which marked a turning point in his understanding of how material, form and meaning interrelate in his work. While textiles and labour-intensive surface processes remain central, this new series reflects a renewed attentiveness to the relationship between language and image.
Titled Decorative Disobedience, the series comprises twenty-four text-based gilded canvases in which text reemerges as a central tool. Here, words function as sculptural presence, declarative yet intimate, operating less as direct communication and more as a negotiation of what is revealed, withheld, or held in tension. The gilded and ruched surfaces, built through hand-aided gathering and the layering of metallised ribbons and fabric, retain the tactile richness characteristic of Xun’s earlier works while opening a path toward clarity, restraint and stillness.
The texts that appear in Decorative Disobedience trace recurring themes of belonging, protection, vulnerability, observation and social attunement. They are not confessional, but chosen, moments distilled from experience and reflection. In these works, presence is not asserted loudly, but held: material, emotional, and quietly insistent.
Through this new series, Xun articulates a mode of expression that is both grounded and searching, a negotiation of what it means to be seen, to speak, and to remain in dialogue with oneself and the world.
Samuel Xun (b. 1994, Singapore), an interdisciplinary artist, explores queer identity, introspection, and emotionality through sculpture, installation, and textile work. Drawing on fashion training and meticulous material processes, his contemplative practice examines personal symbols and social narratives. He has exhibited widely, including at ART SG 2025 with Richard Koh Fine Art.
S.E.A. FOCUS 2026
22 - 25 January 2026
Richard Koh Fine Art
Sands Expo and Convention Centre
Marina Bay Sands
10 Bayfront Ave
Singapore 018956
VIP Preview (by invitation only)
22 January (Thursday), 2 - 6 pm
Vernissage (by invitation only)
22 January (Thursday), 6 - 9 pm
Public Days
23 January (Friday), 12 - 7 pm
24 January (Saturday), 11 am - 7 pm
25 January (Sunday), 11 am - 6 pm
