Concourse A
Cheng’s column is nestled between Hammer’s The Naturalist’s Day and Bauer’s Minnich.
Dancing in a field of convex spheres, two Chinese dragons pay homage to the major gateway to and from Asia. The red dragon faces north while the green dragon faces south. Although Cheng’s father did not live to see the finished piece, he was proud that Amy included elements of Chinese culture in the design.
Artist
Amy Cheng
Date
2004
Medium
Mosaic column (smalti, marble, vitreous ceramic plates, gold)
Dimensions
Approximately 10' in circumference (3' diameter) x 17' high
The colors of the dragons are not without intention. In Chinese tradition, the red dragon is associated with luck, creativity, and enthusiasm. Green dragons symbolize rest, prosperity, and harmony.
Amy Cheng's paintings inspired critic Jonathan Goodman to write: "What Cheng describes is the beauty of natural phenomena whose significance overwhelms even as we fail to completely understand its ultimate meaning." Her artwork speaks to the essential mystery of life and the complex union of spirit, matter, and energy.
“Drawing from the tradition of sacred geometry, I merge Western, Eastern, and Middle Eastern sensibilities to affect an intricately layered sense of space. Some of my recent work uses imagery derived from Chinese folk art as well as mystical and alchemical imagery from the Middle Ages.” – Amy Cheng
Born in Taiwan and raised in Brazil, Oklahoma, and Texas, Amy Cheng incorporates seamlessly elements from her eclectic upbringing into her artworks. Cheng attended the University of Texas at Austin and earned her B.F.A. She received her M.F.A. from Hunter College in New York. Amy has completed numerous public art commissions including a colorfully painted ceramic mural at the Howard Street Station in Chicago and a series of faceted glass windscreens for the Cleveland Street Subway Station in Brooklyn, New York.
Work by Amy Cheng
Amy Cheng's recent public art commissions include a mosaic mural titled Celestial Playground for Jacksonville International Airport and a ceramic tile mural titled Nucleic Life Formation for Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
The work simultaneously refers to nature, the cosmos, and inner states of consciousness.