Natalie's Jungle, 1989.

This reflection by Sacramento State student Michelle Kang Lucas was inspired by Win Ng’s Natalie’s Jungle.

We are wild animals, of every kind. Every jungle is different, and every community coexists. It is colossal. You can feel its presence. Standing right before this work you suddenly feel part of the scene. Perhaps the scale of the painting has brought you here, if not that, the sheer magnetic energy and draw of the animals' gazes will start to pull you closer to where you are now reading this museum label. Can you find the hybrid catfish? Do you see the Phoenix in the upper left corner? (Ng’s symbolic reference to the cycle of life, death, and the spirit of those we have lost.) Win Ng suffered the loss of many friends during the AIDS epidemic and would eventually pass away, two years later in 1991 after completing this piece at the age of 55. Natalie’s Jungle was originally commissioned by the artist’s sister Natalie Ng and her husband Tom Arnold.

Winfred Ng was also a Queer Chinese American ceramist, sculptor, illustrator, and industrial designer. Ng was also an immigrant, a student, and a soldier in the United States Army. Win Ng is a reflection of all the parts that encompass who we are, much like the animals shown in this work. We can be Queer, a person of color, an immigrant, an artist, and a Veteran. I hope Win Ng’s artwork will inspire you to love all your spots and stripes and in kind, love others around you.