Commissioned by Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) in 1974 as two companion pieces, Wealth and Contentment were first displayed at the atrium of Plaza Singapura shopping centre alongside each other. They were both subsequently donated to the NUS in 1997, and today sit outside of the University Cultural Centre in NUS.
Wealth presents a female figure in a rested position, with hands placed gently over her stomach while Contentment lies on her stomach with arms folded. Strongly evocative of their titles, the figures suggest a kind of quiet contemplation, content and perhaps idleness that comes with material wealth.
Both Wealth and Contentment continue Ng’s practiced exploration of the female form, expressed particularly in the form of its suppleness. Supported by a concrete pedestal each of about 1.5 metre in height, the sensual curvature of the two sculptures also conveys a sense of weightlessness despite their sheer weight, as if defying their material mass.
Donated by DBS Land Ltd.
