“Wood As It Is” is an ongoing material investigation into how solid wood can be shaped by working with, rather than against, its inherent structure. Developed through years of experimentation with traditional log-splitting techniques, the project takes inspiration from the simple act of making firewood. Using an axe, froe, and ink dyeing, I split and work the wood along its natural grain rather than machining it into predetermined forms.
This process allows the material to actively influence the outcome, with each piece developing its own form, texture, cracks, and structural character. Rather than treating these qualities as imperfections to be corrected, the work embraces them as integral to the making process. Craftsmanship becomes a dialogue with the material, creating works that reveal the behaviour and character of wood itself—far beyond the standardised forms of industrial production.
Didi NG Wing Yin (b. 1989, Hong Kong) is an artist and maker based in Helsinki, Finland. Working primarily with wood, his practice explores materiality, transformation, perception, and the relationship between human intervention and material agency. Through splitting, carving, and surface manipulation, NG engages with wood’s inherent structures and natural irregularities, allowing the material to guide each work’s evolution rather than adhering to a predetermined form.
Evolving from a background in industrial and furniture design towards a material-led, sculptural approach, NG treats craft knowledge and the act of making as modes of artistic inquiry. He holds an MA in Interior Architecture with a major in Furniture Design from Aalto University. His work has received international acclaim, including selection as a finalist for the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2025, winner of the Dezeen Emerging Designer of the Year Award 2024, and winner of the Rising Star of the Year Award at the Scandinavian Design Awards 2024.
11:00–15:00 (20/11)
11:00–20:00 (21–29/11)
11:00–15:00 (20/11)
11:00–20:00 (21–29/11)