Art Outreach Singapore presents Our Children, a re-examination of a performance installation by eminent Singaporean artist Tang Da Wu, staged during Singapore Art Week 2024 at Gillman Barracks.

A pivotal figure in Singapore's art history, Tang Da Wu has spent decades challenging artistic norms and championing freedom and experimentation. Now at 80, his commitment to pushing boundaries remains resolute. Our Children draws its inspiration from a Teochew opera parable in which a young boy witnesses a baby goat kneeling to suckle from its mother — a moment of enlightenment that becomes an image of respect, filial piety and the passing of values across generations. First presented as a sculpture in 2012 and later transformed into a series of participatory performances in 2017, the work invites performers to contribute to stitching a towering image onto canvas and to re-enact the story under Tang's guidance. His facilitative teaching philosophy emphasises dialogue and grants performers the freedom to interpret — an invitation extended equally to audiences.

For Singapore Art Week 2024, Art Outreach staged a new activation of the work alongside archival materials and interviews, inviting the public to reflect on the enduring questions within Tang's practice. Displayed alongside the performance was a curated selection of works from private collections exploring themes of parenting, tapestry and craft, speaking to the lasting legacy of Tang Da Wu's body of work.

As both organiser and presenting institution, Art Outreach initiated and produced Our Children as part of its commitment to honouring Singapore's artistic legacies and creating meaningful public encounters with significant local practices — reflecting the organisation's role in ensuring that seminal works continue to reach and resonate with new audiences.