Didi NG Wing Yin: Not Just Something

Didi NG Wing Yin brings a unique and experimental approach to wood carving. Mixing traditional craftsmanship with conceptual investigations, Yin’s furniture and objects are not easily defined. For his solo show at Lokal Gallery, he is showing a variety of pieces that show his ongoing exploration of carving techniques and materiality. While the natural qualities of the wood shine through, they also have a very contemporary and unexpected texture or form, which is often emphasized through innovative surface treatments that can include color.

Yin was drawn to start working with wood by living in Finland, where, as he says, “wood is an essential material for life and a significant part of Finnish culture.” For the artist, working with wood is an intuitive and grounded art form, one that also appeals because of its accessibility. It only needs a few basic tools to work with, rather than fancy gadgets or tools. This allows him to connect intimately with the material and transform it into his vision. He works with different species of wood depending on the project, but he works mainly with softwood. For the “Wood Pleats” series, he typically uses pine or spruce because of their distinctive wood grain. For texture carving, he notes, “linden wood is one of the best options for its softness.”

Yin typically starts working on a piece by directly working with the wood and explore the outcome through experimentation. If it starts to shift away from his intentions, he might stop and create sketches based on the pieces he is working on. As he says, “it is a back and forth process,” one in which the artist is always in-tune with his material. Yin’s goal is to explore the genuine express of wood, which he encapsulates in one word: Naturalness.