Emma Ng | |
---|---|
Born | Katherine Emma Ng 1990 (age 34–35) Auckland, New Zealand |
Occupation |
|
Alma mater | |
Notable works | Old Chinese New Chinese |
Katherine Emma Ng (born 1990) is a New Zealand writer and curator. Of Chinese descent, she is most known for her contributions to research about Chinese New Zealand history and experiences.
Life and career
Ng was born in 1990 in Auckland, to New Zealand-born Chinese parents. Her father's family had settled in Auckland, and owned a fruit shop at the bottom of Queen Street, while her mother's family lived in Dunedin where they owned and operated a Chinese restaurant. Her grandparents moved to New Zealand from Guangdong, China.
Ng's primary education was at Victoria Avenue School in the Auckland suburb of Remuera. She later lived in Wellington for seven years and studied at Victoria University of Wellington. She graduated from Victoria with two degrees—a Bachelor of Arts with honours and a Bachelor of Design Innovation—in 2013.
Ng has worked at various art institutions across New Zealand, including the Dowse Art Museum, and Enjoy Contemporary Art Space from January 2014 to August 2016. She has also written for publications including The Pantograph Punch, ArtAsiaPacific, The Spinoff and Art New Zealand. Ng lived in New York City where she completed a master's degree in design research and criticism at the School of Visual Arts.
Books
Ng's 2017 book, Old Asian, New Asian, explores the persistent racism and anti-Asian sentiment present in New Zealand toward Chinese New Zealanders. The book's conception was in response to the Labour Party's leaked data analytics in 2015, which surveyed New Zealand house buyers with 'Chinese' surnames. The book highlights concepts such as yellow peril and the model minority myth, which affect contemporary experiences of Chinese New Zealanders, as well as discussing historical race-based laws including the Chinese Immigrants Act and the poll tax established in 1881. In the book, Ng notes her own experiences of Sinophobia and discrimination.
References
- ^ "When does Asian come to mean Kiwi?". The New Zealand Herald. 8 July 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- "Coffee and Croissants with Ane Tonga, Emma Ng, Justine Olsen and Rufus Knight". Objectspace. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- "Roll of graduates". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
- ^ "K. Emma Ng". Victoria University of Wellington. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- "K. Emma Ng". BWB Bridget Williams Books. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- "Emma Ng". Asian Aotearoa Arts Huì. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- "Editorial: Treat Asian kiwis right". The New Zealand Herald. 8 July 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- "Labour message to Chinese very clear". The New Zealand Herald. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- Mason, Cass (27 October 2017). "NZ's long history of anti-Asian racism". Stuff. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- Ng, K. Emma. "Old Asian, New Asian". Pantograph Punch. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- Ng, K. Emma (11 July 2017). "Breaking the cycle of anti-Asian sentiment in NZ demands recognising our racist past". The Spinoff. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
Further reading
- Disappointing the past and failing the future by Emma Ng
- Guy Ngan, an artist ignored but not forgotten by Emma Ng
- The Single Object: A metric tonne of Chinese-New Zealand history by Emma Ng
- Rattling the shelves by Emma Ng
- 1990 births
- Living people
- Writers from Auckland
- New Zealand people of Chinese descent
- Victoria University of Wellington alumni
- School of Visual Arts alumni
- 21st-century New Zealand writers
- 21st-century New Zealand women writers
- 21st-century New Zealand non-fiction writers
- New Zealand women curators
- Chinese diaspora