Torso (Rocker)
1973
Ciment-fondu
21 x 68 x 25 cm

Lovers II (Mobile)
1974
Ciment-fondu
29 x 36 x 36 cm


In the early 1970s Ng Eng Teng entered a light-hearted
phase, producing a series of roly-poly faces and
rocking torsos which demonstrate the whimsical side
of his character. They are upturned faces and
abstracted torsos, universally appealing and fun
objects created by a clever transformation and
simplification of parts of the human body. They are
delightfully playful floor mobiles which invite the
spectator to a hands-on participation, oscillating or
gyrating at a touch, and regaining their stability by
employing the ancient balancing principle of the
Chinese bu dao doll. In some, pellets of clay or
cement, sometimes as moveable eyes, are left inside
so that a rattling sound ensues when they are rocked.