Elaine K. Ng: a circle, a line, an arc

On view: July 1, 2020 – February 2022

In the third year of the Antigravity project, Elaine K. Ng installed ‘a circle, a line, an arc,’ using bamboo, sassafras, cotton thread and rice paper to create a cloud-like experience as visitors enter and exit the Museum.

Elaine K. Ng is an artist whose work explores the physical and psychological structures of site. Her practice includes material investigations and explorations of pattern, as well as writing and research to examine the various aspects that contribute to our collective knowledge of place.

“I often look at the patterns and materials in an environment and think about how these elements contribute to our understanding of places and our relationships to them. In the rotunda, I was drawn to the formal aspects of its curved architecture. In particular, I noticed the way it consists largely of segments of a circle – curved lines that start and stop with various openings into the space – with full circles only in the oculus above. The bent arc forms in this installation were created in response to this deconstructed round, and its hanging structure was designed to take advantage of the height and unique multi-level viewing experiences specific to this rotunda. There is no one optimal vantage point. Rather, the work floats with a stillness that encourages viewers to move around and examine it from different perspectives.” -Elaine K. Ng

This annual commission is coupled with a week-long guest appearance in the Amphitheater Hot Shop of Corning Museum of Glass where she’ll work collaboratively with the gaffers to realize her designs in glass. This collaborative program was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but will be scheduled for 2021.

Elaine K. Ng holds a BA in music and pre-veterinary medicine from the University of California, Davis, an MBA and MA in nonprofit management from Southern Methodist University, and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. She exhibits and lectures internationally and has been a Visiting Professor at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) University and a Visiting Artist at Tainan National University of the Arts (TNNUA). In 2017-18 she was awarded a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship for research in Taiwan.