An Artling Exclusive: 'Small Things' by Dawn Ng
ByJenevieve KokPhotography by Sean Lee, Image courtesy of Dawn Ng
The Artling is pleased to announce the launch of the first SPRING collection of 'Small Things' by Singaporean contemporary artist, Dawn Ng. 'Small Things' is a series of a family of paper vessels that have been uniquely hand-made in a soft kaleidoscope of shapes and shades. This is the artist's first forray into the realm of design and is one which demonstrates Dawn’s keen sense of materiality and attention to the rawness and irregularity of the handmade object.
The SPRING collection is now available exclusively for purchase on The Artling here.
Vessel #14 Sand - Dawn Ng (Available on The Artling). Photography by Sean Lee, Image courtesy of Dawn Ng
'Small Things’ was conceptualised during the COVID-19 lockdown in Singapore last year. Despite the constraints of the pandemic, Dawn embarked on her elegant exploration of simple handmade vessels in the back room of her apartment, kneading pigments into mulched paper and sculpting them into objects. Though Dawn feels the works sit within the realm of design objects rather than that of artworks, she is very cognisant of the many commonalities the two share.
Vessels #9 & #10 Sage - Dawn Ng, (Available on The Artling). Photography by Sean Lee, Image courtesy of Dawn Ng
Each vessel was made by kneading pigments into mulched paper and sculpting them into objects, which the artist describes as “vulnerable” and “human". The pieces represent modern day relics of our fragile times, which she confides betray her desire to cradle something soft yet concrete in this period marked by unprecedented uncertainty.
Vessel #3 Pink - Dawn Ng (Available on The Artling). Photography by Sean Lee, Image courtesy of Dawn Ng
“Each vessel is a one of one, and bears hundreds of the my fingerprints.” - Dawn Ng
Vessel #1 Pink - Dawn Ng (Available on The Artling)
"'Small Things' are modern day relics of our fragile times, which Dawn confides betray her desire to cradle something soft yet concrete in this period marked by unprecedented uncertainty."
Vessel #5 Chalk - Dawn Ng (Available on The Artling)
Each vessel or set of vessels comes in a box, wrapped in linen, along with care instructions. Image courtesy of Dawn Ng
Each vessel or set of vessels comes in a box, wrapped in linen, along with care instructions. Image courtesy of Dawn Ng
About Dawn Ng
Dawn Ng is a multi-hyphenate visual artist, who has worked across a breadth of mediums, motives and scale, including sculpture, photography, light, film, collage, painting and large scale installations. Her practice deals with time, memory and the ephemeral. Often characterized by lyricism and a nuanced use of colour, Dawn’s work has been acquired by the Singapore Art Museum, and exhibited at the Musee d’art contemporain de Lyon, and the Lille3000 art festival, France. She has had solos in Art Basel Hong Kong and the Art Paris Art Fair, and shown in Sydney, Shanghai, Jakarta and New York. In 2016, Dawn was commissioned by the Hermes Foundation to inaugurate their Singapore gallery with a solo installation, and was also part of the Jeju Biennale, Korea in 2017. In 2019, Dawn was commissioned to fill a wing of the Art Science Museum for their Floating Utopias exhibition, and opened a commissioned solo at the Asian Civilisations Museum in 2020. She is currently nominated for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize 2021.
Click here to browse the full SPRING collection of 'Small Things'.
