Samuel Xun – Welcome Back, Boo

Richard Koh Fine Art (RKFA) Singapore is pleased to announce Welcome Back, Boo, the debut solo exhibition by Singaporean artist Samuel Xun, running from 24 May to 21 June 2025 at RKFA Singapore.

Marking a significant milestone in the artist’s practice, Welcome Back, Boo presents a new body of work created over the past year. Known for his maximalist visual language, Xun draws on his background in fashion to craft works that navigate the intersections of identity, memory, and materiality. Through intricately composed surfaces, the exhibition reflects on how dress and adornment operate as both armour and expression.

Central to the works are simulated weave reliefs—layered textile constructions that function as a kind of secondary skin. These sculptural elements echo the artist’s ongoing exploration of garments as mediators of the self, simultaneously revealing and protecting. The tension between defence and display is palpable, as embellishment becomes a strategy for preserving personal history while projecting individuality.

Each work is painstakingly constructed using a blend of synthetic metallised ribbons and natural materials such as cotton and wool. Xun employs a meticulous hand-aided gathering technique using a sewing machine to shape each strand, assembling them onto textile or wooden backings. Visual patterns are then collaged, permanently pressed, dissected, and remixed to create rich, textured compositions. Wood elements—often multilayered birch ply or mixed ply—are sealed, painted, and integrated with the textile forms, merging structure with ornamentation.

Welcome Back, Boo offers an intimate look into Samuel Xun’s world—where material experimentation and personal narrative converge in bold, tactile forms. The exhibition positions his work within an evolving dialogue of contemporary textile and mixed media practices in Southeast Asia.

SAMUEL XUN (b. 1994, Singapore) is a visual artist based in Singapore. His practice centres around the exploration of alternative identity and personal histories through sculpture, context-based installation, and textile composition. His works propose the potential of physical materials as carriers of identity and culture, often merging textiles with symbols informed by film, philosophy, and lived experiences to encourage self-therapy and introspection.

Samuel’s work is defined by a closely held relationship with materials. His meticulous, labour-intensive process doubles as a meditative exercise, reflecting on past and present realities. Through signature ornamentation and vibrant palettes, colour, texture, and text are positioned as tools to explore visibility and engage with societal discourse. Often taking the form of intricate abstract visual systems, the works navigate in-betweenness, balancing excess and restraint, inviting reflection on the narratives we construct for ourselves and their impact on our social condition.

A graduate of LASALLE College of the Arts, Samuel holds a BA in Fashion Design & Textiles. His works have been exhibited internationally and are held in both private and public collections, including several across ASEAN and, notably, Christian Dior SE. Recent exhibitions include the solo presentation Welcome Back, Boo at Richard Koh Fine Art, the travelling Lady Dior Art expositions, and Between The Lines at Appetite. Samuel and his work have also been extensively published and featured in Harper’s Bazaar, VOGUE, and Grazia.