From the tragic ashes of the World Trade Centre in 911 springs a new hope, a better tomorrow, and a return to the human touch. Eng Tay, who witnessed the double-plane assaults of the twin towers from his White Street studio in New York, presents a bruised but hopeful world under healing with a simplicity of tones and soft ascetic colours. Even the landscape visible from the four arches seems aglow despite the eventide. In this Columbus Park Series crafted from the heart of New York’s Chinatown, Eng Tay has created a beacon of hope, a return to intimacy and the human touch. This park, once called Paradise Park, is a favourite recreation spot where people play mahjong or Chinese chess, practise daiji martial arts or perform traditional dance and music though it was a dangerous ghetto in the 19th century. Salvation lies in moving on positively, after the brazen attacks on Sept 11, 2001 by two coordinated planes by suicide terrorists. The high point of Eng Tay’s art career was when he was given a Retrospective by Galeri Petronas in 2009. Although he started painting earlier in Alor Star, Eng Tay made his way to New York to study at the Art Students League (1969-1972) and then the Pratt Graphics Centre (1972-1977). He has produced works in ceramics, sculptures (in bronze, in editions of 25), paintings and prints, primarily etchings. His monumental sculptures can be found in Kiaraville SENI, Marc Residences, and Zehn condominiums in Kuala Lumpur. His works are in the collection of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum; the Fukuyama Museum of Art, Hiroshima in Japan; the New York University; the Frankie Valli Estate and the Merv Griffin Estate, both in the United States.