DAWN NG

is a bespoke Ping Pong table, crafted in white marble (historically, a common material used in Colonial or local aristocrat furniture of yore) and steel. This piece immortalizes in stone, the resurgent game of Ping Pong, whose bewildering popularity amongst this nostalgia-laden, hipster generation is unparalleled. A glass-encased pair of vintage bats and three custom-printed balls titled "Lies," "Truth" and "Jokes," humorously invites the viewer and his or her partner, to partake in a game of exchange, which forms the timeless basis of all relationships and conversations on love. This work makes light of our romanticization of most things past, and our incapacity to quite grasp the basis of our affections.

2014 | 200 x 150 x 810 cm | Glass + Wood + Steel + Acrylic + Brass

is a bespoke Ping Pong table, crafted in white marble (historically, a common material used in Colonial or local aristocrat furniture of yore) and steel. This piece immortalizes in stone, the resurgent game of Ping Pong, whose bewildering popularity amongst this nostalgia-laden, hipster generation is unparalleled. A glass-encased pair of vintage bats and three custom-printed balls titled "Lies," "Truth" and "Jokes," humorously invites the viewer and his or her partner, to partake in a game of exchange, which forms the timeless basis of all relationships and conversations on love. This work makes light of our romanticization of most things past, and our incapacity to quite grasp the basis of our affections.

2014 | 200 x 150 x 810 cm | Glass + Wood + Steel + Acrylic + Brass

is a glass case of innocuous household items - a rattan stick, a dozen clothes pegs, and a wire hanger, all of which were iconic and inventive tools of discipline used upon generations of Singaporean children. The guileless, innocent color palette of the curated objects stands in ironic contrast to their use for torture, whilst echoing the faint pink lines their swooping whacks and pinches form on young, partially-broken skin.

2014 | 80 X 43 cm | Glass + Wood + Acrylic + Brass

is a handmade cabinet filled with a cascading array of vintage marbles. Sourced from different homes, vintage shops and junk collectors throughout Singapore, hundreds of marbles stand in accordance to a meticulous orchestra of blue hues, height and distance-width apart. Now lined in glassed-silence, is the once familiar sound of rolling marbles, which percolated the thin floors of HDB flats. Once a fixture of our youth, the simple marble has disappeared from local aquarium sellers and toy stores due to their lack of demand. Waterfall is a time capsule of a particular era of childhood gone by, and a documentation of the earliest and most earnest collector-behavior in those of us who once saw preciousness in the tiniest ball of glass.

2014 | 274 x 153 cm | Glass + Wood + Brass

is a deconstructed two-seater carousel, which draws architecturally from merry-go-rounds built in local playgrounds of our youth. Its steel seat handles are reminiscent of the iron bars, which form a supporting asterix across the circular platform of old merry-go-rounds. This hand-made work is constructed so that two individuals may either sit with their backs facing each other, or kneel towards each other in an embrace. With this choice, they may either follow the same course around the carousel, never to meet; or move in circles together, with the other person eclipsing all surroundings. Someone Like You embodies the role of the spinning laws of chance, where two people can well remain strangers even if they are sitting right beside each other, or become entwined if they simply turned around.

2014 | 140 X 50 cm | Wood + Steel

is a glass cabinet constructed to house a collection of 16 custom-made and hand-painted trophies. The work celebrates 16 unsung heroes of Singaporean school days, pertaining to specific individuals whose talents weren't recognized by the local education system, but who were champions in their own right. Physical Education wryly satirizes the rigid concept of merit in Singaporean schools, and pays overdue tribute to all the fantastic square pegs in our canonized round holes.

1. PONTANG GRAND CHAMPION
2. CHEE HONG GOLD MEDALIST
3. FIRST IN CLASS FOR BEING LAST
4. MASTER OF MC
5. LATEST BLOOMER ALUMNI CUP
6. PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD MOST HAPPENING
7. TALENT OF THE YEAR WAYANG
8. LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TALKING COCK
9. COPY HOMEWORK NUMBER ONE
10. JIN WU ENG PARTICIPATION PRIZE
11. TIO GAN FOUNDATION RECOGNITION PRIZE SABOH KING
12. MAGNA CUM LAUDE MUGGER OF THE YEAR
13. BEST PERFORMANCE ACT BLUR
14. NATIONAL RECORD HOLDER DAY DREAMING
15. CLASS APPRECIATION AWARD NEVER PICHA LOBANG
16. BUAY KIA SEE FINAL LEAGUE CHALLENGE SURVIVOR

2014 | 125 X 80 cm | Glass + Wood + ACRYLIC paint + aluminium 

is a glass cabinet constructed to house a collection of 16 custom-made and hand-painted trophies. The work celebrates 16 unsung heroes of Singaporean school days, pertaining to specific individuals whose talents weren't recognized by the local education system, but who were champions in their own right. Physical Education wryly satirizes the rigid concept of merit in Singaporean schools, and pays overdue tribute to all the fantastic square pegs in our canonized round holes.

is a restored vintage insert-coin binoculars, whose engraved instructions pushes the viewer to philosophically consider the innate desire in themselves to look beyond their limits. Once commonly found along scenic spots across the island, such as mount Faber or Sentosa, this binoculars provides a timely reflection of young Singaporeans, whose view on life is permanently locked on a horizon or vanishing point—the absolute furthest their eyes can reach. In good fun, the work questions if this need for the “beyond,” is symptomatic of our access to everything, or if it is universally human to search for things outside ourselves, even if what we often find is just a man walking his dog or a tree on a sidewalk.

2014 | 160 x 60 x 60 cm | Glass+ Steel + Acrylic 

is a restored vintage insert-coin binoculars, whose engraved instructions pushes the viewer to philosophically consider the innate desire in themselves to look beyond their limits. Once commonly found along scenic spots across the island, such as mount Faber or Sentosa, this binoculars provides a timely reflection of young Singaporeans, whose view on life is permanently locked on a horizon or vanishing point—the absolute furthest their eyes can reach. In good fun, the work questions if this need for the “beyond,” is symptomatic of our access to everything, or if it is universally human to search for things outside ourselves, even if what we often find is just a man walking his dog or a tree on a sidewalk.

2014 | 160 x 60 x 60 cm | Glass+ Steel + Acrylic 

is a set of 40 vintage keys from the 1970’s to 1990s that have been hand-picked from various junk stores and homes across Singapore. The act of cutting a key is akin to etching a memory into its metal, yet none of the keys, which once unlocked local flat gates, doors, chests, cabinets and bank safes, can be matched to their original locks. As such, their memories have been ironically locked within them, turning these 40 keys into sole, silent bearers of 40 treasures, rooms or secrets that have since vanished. With the influx of modern digital locks and password technology, keys will soon become an antiquated and obsolete object. Atlantis has grown from the artist’s personal fascination with keys and her obsession with the stories they keep.

2014 | 133 X 78 cm | Wood + GLASS + various metals + brass

is a set of 40 vintage keys from the 1970’s to 1990s that have been hand-picked from various junk stores and homes across Singapore. The act of cutting a key is akin to etching a memory into its metal, yet none of the keys, which once unlocked local flat gates, doors, chests, cabinets and bank safes, can be matched to their original locks. As such, their memories have been ironically locked within them, turning these 40 keys into sole, silent bearers of 40 treasures, rooms or secrets that have since vanished. With the influx of modern digital locks and password technology, keys will soon become an antiquated and obsolete object. Atlantis has grown from the artist’s personal fascination with keys and her obsession with the stories they keep.

2014 | 133 X 78 cm | Wood + GLASS + various metals + brass

is a satirical encyclopedia of 10 self-help books that address some of the most evasive or bewildering subjects in life. In this unprecedented era of feel-good literature and inspiration guides, the books contain nothing more than blank pages - a knowing poke at our relentless pursuit for easy answers, and a submission to the humbling truth that there are some things we will never quite understand. Each book cover has been drawn by ink on paper, where the positive scan of the calligraphy of each word is transformed into a negative brushstroke on the cover, an act of erasing or opening a void with each subject.

2014 | 120 X 90 cm | Wood + PAPER + brass{C}

is a hand-made, bold yellow, elongated wooden cabinet resting on 4 thin legs. Glass windows on both sides showcase an orchestrated landscape of 1970-1980s vintage and childhood knickknacks. White on white in every detail, most objects were collected from various junk stores and homes across Singapore in their original state while some were hand painted to complement the white palette of their counterparts, forming a unique gradation of white to cream. "Banana" is a physical parody of the term "banana," used to describe younger generations of locals who were deemed "yellow on the outside but white on the inside" by older generations, due to our Western education and influence. The work stands as a time capsule in and of itself, fossilizing the infinitely ordinary, the beautifully everyday of the here and now.

 2014 | 140 X 33 X 113 cm | Wood + Porcelain + Glass + Acrylic + Ceramic + Brass

is a custom-built glass cabinet populated by a horde of over a 100 different toy animals. Gathered across local neighborhood toy stores and Mamashops, these common childhood collectible toy animals are hand-painted white, the color of sheep or the government party in power. Lined perfect distance-widths apart from left to right, the animals form immaculate rows of white. As its title suggests, the work makes an underlying satirical commentary on the Singaporean herd mentality despite our multi-cultural, creative, or global guise. Its brass label "SHEEP" points to this pristine animal farm, whose members come in different shapes and sizes, but are ultimately of one and the same skin.

2014 | 190 X 140 cm | Wood + Glass + Acrylic + Brass

is a hand-made musical chest containing 5 hand-wound musical recordings, which earmark five key tunes and associated memories in the first 12 years of the artist’s life. Her research on memory in relation to music has found that music is one of the most acute memory triggers, so effective that hospitals sometimes treat Alzheimer patients with music to help them remember the past. As such, this wooden 'tabula rasa' of music is constructed akin to a large treasure chest, which can be accessed with the turn of different keys. Two local vintage stools of corresponding 1980s heritage, allow listeners to adjust their seating to different heights in order to lean their heads against its surface, almost like as if one is straining to hear the beating of a heart, where all memories are stored indefinitely.

2014 | 120 X 90 cm | Wood + steel + brass

is a hand-made case filled with 9 different sculpted porcelain seeds. Throughout Western and Eastern culture, the proverb of the seed has taken many forms — the most common perhaps is the notion of action and outcome in the saying, “You reap what you sow.” Close to hearts of most Singaporean children, is the memory of planting a seed in a wet swab of cotton wool, a first attempt to nurture life as part of a classroom exercise.  Each sculpted seed in this case is shaped after its life-size counterpart but labeled according to its metaphoric potential. For example, “Long Drawn Drama” is represented by the black melon seed, eaten during lengthy local TV soap operas or funerals, while “True Love” is represented by the local Saga seed. At once funny and sad, pointed and silly, bitter and sweet, these seeds make the viewer conscious of the power in their hands to give life and shape the most important things.

2014 | 30 x 30 cm | Wood + Porcelain + Glass + Ceramic + Aluminium

is a custom-built marble case, which gives weight to 12 miniature, hand-sculpted porcelain figurines known as “Small Problems.” These “problems” range from a lost tooth to a blob of bird shit, a curry stain to a malignant growth. Each figurine is keenly shaped after its life-sized counterpart and labeled in engraved aluminium. A wry response to our local culture of complaining and mini-disaster dramatics, Little Things is a tongue-in-cheek classification of "the little things that will ultimately kill you," and an acknowledgement of the ridiculous gravity we often place on things of trifling consequence.

1. MISSING TOOTH
2. OLD GUM
3. BLUNT TOOTHPICK
4. SOGGY CORNFLAKE
5. BIRD SHIT
6. CURRY STAIN
7. BENIGN TUMOUR
8. EXPIRED PILL
9. DRY CONTACT LENS
10. UNATTRACTIVE MOLE
11. LOST BUTTON
12. WASTED TOOTHPASTE 

2014 | 140 X 50 cm | Wood + Glass + Porcelain + Marble

is an anthropological documentation of the “ah bengs”, the infamous orange plastic combs encased here being a hallmark of their identity. The "ah beng" a stereotype of teenage Chinese boys who spoke exclusively in local slang and loitered around HDB estates in gangs. In the mid-90s, they were most immediately defined by their outlandish dress sense and crass vocabulary, but began to disappear from the local scene as the Millenium approached. Perhaps they just grew up, perhaps the strict law enforcement system in Singapore began to weed out the secret societies they belonged to, or perhaps they just caved in and conformed. Whatever the case, it is a shame that they are gone. They were gregarious, fearless and took an exciting attitude to fashion during a period where no one had a clue what Versace or Jean Paul Gaultier was. Lost Boys is in true remembrance of our local Peter Pans.

2014 | 52 X 82 cm | Wood + Plastic + Glass + Brass

is a physical paradox. It is a cabinet full of explosives with zero capability for destruction, as each popper is triggered by friction-actuated gun powder to set off a loud popping noise and burst of colourful string.  Packed with over 200 blue party poppers, which remain the quintessential entertainment form of childhood games and local festivities to date; each explosive is labelled "BOOMZ" in commemoration of Miss Singapore 2009, Ris Low, whose made-up vocabulary exploded on the local scene. "Boomz" was the hallmark of Ris' spiel, which led many to question her suitability for the role as a model Singaporean, while others argued that she was simply representative of the local standard of speaking. Miss Ris is no more than a reflection of ourselves - our first world dreams and third world insecurities, as well as our capacity to be such grand entertainment if to no one other than ourselves.

2014 | 150 X 100 cm | Wood + Glass + Acrylic + Paper + Gun powder + Brass

is a physical paradox. It is a cabinet full of explosives with zero capability for destruction, as each popper is triggered by friction-actuated gun powder to set off a loud popping noise and burst of colourful string.  Packed with over 200 blue party poppers, which remain the quintessential entertainment form of childhood games and local festivities to date; each explosive is labelled "BOOMZ" in commemoration of Miss Singapore 2009, Ris Low, whose made-up vocabulary exploded on the local scene. "Boomz" was the hallmark of Ris' spiel, which led many to question her suitability for the role as a model Singaporean, while others argued that she was simply representative of the local standard of speaking. Miss Ris is no more than a reflection of ourselves - our first world dreams and third world insecurities, as well as our capacity to be such grand entertainment if to no one other than ourselves.

2014 | 150 X 100 cm | Wood + Glass + Acrylic + Paper + Gun powder + Brass

is an installation of three hand-made folding doors, with apertures peering out toward the same direction. The doors are painted in a gradation of color, which correspond to their engraved titles, “Some kind of Beautiful,” “Some kind of Trouble” and “Some kind of Love.” Each door invites the viewer to play peekaboo with someone on the opposite side, by peering through its lens to look at him or her. This work examines the idea of a perfect stranger, or that moment of deja-vu when you lay eyes on someone you have never met. It heightens the viewer’s awareness that a same person could ultimately be one, two or three of three fundamental things to him or her — that some kind of beautiful, trouble or love. As such, Perfect Stranger is an exploration of the notion of chance, of roles and seemingly innocuous hellos.

2014 | 190 X 270 cm | Wood + Copper + Acrylic + Glass + Brass

is an installation of three hand-made folding doors, with apertures peering out toward the same direction. The doors are painted in a gradation of color, which correspond to their engraved titles, “Some kind of Beautiful,” “Some kind of Trouble” and “Some kind of Love.” Each door invites the viewer to play peekaboo with someone on the opposite side, by peering through its lens to look at him or her. This work examines the idea of a perfect stranger, or that moment of deja-vu when you lay eyes on someone you have never met. It heightens the viewer’s awareness that a same person could ultimately be one, two or three of three fundamental things to him or her — that some kind of beautiful, trouble or love. As such, Perfect Stranger is an exploration of the notion of chance, of roles and seemingly innocuous hellos.

2014 | 190 X 270 cm | Wood + Copper + Acrylic + Glass + Brass

is an installation of three hand-made folding doors, with apertures peering out toward the same direction. The doors are painted in a gradation of color, which correspond to their engraved titles, “Some kind of Beautiful,” “Some kind of Trouble” and “Some kind of Love.” Each door invites the viewer to play peekaboo with someone on the opposite side, by peering through its lens to look at him or her. This work examines the idea of a perfect stranger, or that moment of deja-vu when you lay eyes on someone you have never met. It heightens the viewer’s awareness that a same person could ultimately be one, two or three of three fundamental things to him or her — that some kind of beautiful, trouble or love. As such, Perfect Stranger is an exploration of the notion of chance, of roles and seemingly innocuous hellos.

2014 | 190 X 270 cm | Wood + Copper + Acrylic + Glass + Brass

is an installation of three hand-made folding doors, with apertures peering out toward the same direction. The doors are painted in a gradation of color, which correspond to their engraved titles, “Some kind of Beautiful,” “Some kind of Trouble” and “Some kind of Love.” Each door invites the viewer to play peekaboo with someone on the opposite side, by peering through its lens to look at him or her. This work examines the idea of a perfect stranger, or that moment of deja-vu when you lay eyes on someone you have never met. It heightens the viewer’s awareness that a same person could ultimately be one, two or three of three fundamental things to him or her — that some kind of beautiful, trouble or love. As such, Perfect Stranger is an exploration of the notion of chance, of roles and seemingly innocuous hellos.

2014 | 190 X 270 cm | Wood + Copper + Acrylic + Glass + Brass

Bespoke hand-crafted cabinets and furniture
Various sizes
2014

Bespoke hand-crafted cabinets and furniture
Various sizes
014

Bespoke hand-crafted cabinets and furniture
Various sizes
014

Bespoke hand-crafted cabinets and furniture
Various sizes
014

Bespoke hand-crafted cabinets and furniture
Various sizes
014