Dawn Ng’s practice spans sculpture, painting, photography and large-scale installations – all of which revolves around themes of time, memory and the ephemeral. Ng was invited by the Melbourne Art Fair and The Ritz-Carlton to showcase her work through a special commission. Attendees to the fair got to witness The Earth is an Hourglass, while a parallel display of Waterfall IX graces the sky-lobby on Level 80 of The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne.

In discussing her work, Ng reflects, “What is time without numbers? All of us articulate time with numbers, but rarely with a colour, a feeling, or a texture.” This poignant exploration of time’s emotional elasticity is at the heart of The Earth is an Hourglass, a piece that captures the melting of a frozen block of coloured pigment over 20 hours, condensed into a hypnotic 20-minute film. The work’s temporal fluidity serves as a meditation on the impermanence of life, where time becomes a tactile experience – seen, felt and then inevitably lost.
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For Ng, the commission offered a unique opportunity to expand her practice. “Being commissioned by Melbourne Art Foundation and QAGOMA, and supported by The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne to create The Earth is an Hourglass has been an incredible opportunity to push the boundaries of my practice and bring this ephemeral meditation on time to life on a grand scale,” she shares. Her fascination with time’s passage is also evident in Waterfall IX, a digital display offering guests a moment of contemplative pause amid the hotel’s luxurious surrounds. “I wanted someone to be able to fall in love again and again,” Ng explains, capturing her intent to invoke a sense of wonder and reflection.
As the ice blocks in Ng’s video installation, layers of colour and complexity are revealed. It’s a celebration of art’s power to evoke emotion and rediscover time in its most beautiful, fleeting form.
Dawn Ng is represented by Sullivan+Strumpf.








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