To Build a Playground of Intimacy
Every emotional connection between individuals is a building block that forms the intangible space in which relationships develop over time. A playground is a place associated with childhood wonder, joy, and laughter, where feelings shared are pure and unadulterated. To build a playground of intimacy is to build a mental space that emulates this physical safe space designed for and inhabited by children. Beyond the laughter and joy, feelings of sadness and anger are inevitable within the plane of intimacy, all of which are crucial for strong relationships to form. Each relationship also develops at its own pace and progresses through different stages, just as one physically moves between the different games at the playground. In the end, when the time to leave our playground comes, there are feelings of hesitancy and unwillingness to move on. This is the ephemeral nature of happiness: each fleeting moment is special by virtue of the fact that it is not everlasting.
In this exhibition, Ng explores the different dynamics between old and new relationships she experiences in her early twenties through the contrast of past memories and make-believe images. Bittersweet Longings and Forward, We Go! depict Ng’s feelings of gratitude towards the female friendships in her life while comparing it towards projections of fantasy she has towards romance. The recurrence of the electric scooter serves as a thread to connect fantasy and reality by depicting the different amount of control she has within these two different types of relationships. Ng then brings the timeline back to the present time with On Guard (Thank You), to capture a moment that is understood between females and unique to the individuals within the piece. Each painting presents a playground of intimacy that she has built with others, whether it be physical or metaphorical.