One of the most prolific and talented artists in Singapore, Ng Eng Teng produced more than 300 sculptures over a span of 40 years. These included large-scale public sculptures to life-sized and smaller sculptures. His art education started in Singapore as a painting student at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), before continuing his studies in industrial pottery in North Staffordshire College of Technology, England. He went on to study studio pottery in Farnham School of Art and subsequently became a designer in a pottery factory in Ireland for a few years. These various stints equipped him with the necessary technical vocabulary to deal with the 3-dimensional form.Ng, who dealt primarily with the human figure and humanistic themes in his art, believed humanity began with the family foundation and the dynamic relationships between the parents and their children. In ‘Chip of the Old Block’, the relationship between the father and child takes centre stage. Not usually obvious, the father’s affection takes an almost stoic gesture with the patriach looking into the distance and instilling confidence into his child.
