Ellie Kayu Ng's UK Solo Debut 'Catching the Big Fish' at Twilight Contemporary
Brooklyn-based painter Ellie Kayu Ng presents her first UK solo exhibition, 'Catching the Big Fish,' at Twilight Contemporary in London from May 8 to May 30, 2026. The show explores the blurred line between reality and aspiration, featuring Ng's self-portraits in borrowed or rented garments that construct alternate identities. The new series focuses on boredom within the domestic sphere, depicting surreal scenes of household objects like washing machines as gateways to other realities. Works include 'Overture' (oil on canvas, 76 x 136 cm, 2026), showing fish leaping and synchronized legs. Ng uses imagination as a survival mechanism, turning mundane chores into dreamlike narratives. The exhibition is presented by Twilight Contemporary at 378 Essex Road, London N1 3PF.
Key facts
- Ellie Kayu Ng's UK solo debut 'Catching the Big Fish' runs May 8–30, 2026 at Twilight Contemporary, 378 Essex Road, London N1 3PF.
- Ng is a Brooklyn-based painter who has spent over a decade painting herself into imagined scenarios using borrowed or rented garments.
- The exhibition examines desire, identity, and the fleeting nature of aspirations.
- The new series focuses on boredom in the domestic sphere, depicting surreal scenes of household objects.
- Featured work 'Overture' (2026) is an oil on canvas measuring 76 x 136 cm.
- Ng's work presents a cognitive harmony between fickle rented garments and the warmth of daydreams.
- The exhibition suggests that waiting for a dream is itself a form of labor.
- Imagination is presented as a survival mechanism and a tool for navigating daily tasks.
Entities
Artists
- Ellie Kayu Ng
Institutions
- Twilight Contemporary
Locations
- Brooklyn
- London
- United Kingdom
- 378 Essex Road
- London N1 3PF