The Chinese character 過天車 is translated as “a water wheel for raising water to inundate fields”. Instead of illustrating a Noria, Ng paints the manifestations of water as a cloud and as a glass of water, both natural phenomena, in which truth lies.

Morrison’s Chinese Dictionary (1815–1823), compiled by Anglo-Scottish missionary Robert Morrison, was the first Chinese–English and English–Chinese dictionary. In this series, Ng transforms torn fragments from its pages into paintings inspired by individual words, phrases, and their unexpected juxtapositions. The Vacuum Above combines a sky-dome diagram with numerical tables, echoing the entry “The vacuum above the earth is heaven” and reflecting on the relationship between the celestial and the earthly. Sash responds to the accidental proximity of “flanks of meat” and “to bind a sash or girdle,” using the corset as a symbol of beauty, constraint, and the objectification of women.    

Noria | 2019 | Ink and acrylic on canvas | 36 x 30 in. (91.4 x 76.2 cm)

Sash | 2019 | Ink and acrylic on canvas | 36 x 30 in. (91.4 x 76.2 cm)

The Vacuum Above | 2022 | Ink, pastel and acrylic on linen | 40 x 40 in. (101.6 x 101.6 cm)

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