Tsz Yan Ng’s large-scale photographic hand-weaving in its finished state at 2739 Edwin Gallery.

The evening of Saturday, Sept. 7 was the closing reception for the work that artist and architect Tsz Yan Ng (aka Tn) has been creating over the course of the last month in the gallery space at 2739 Edwin in Hamtramck. During the gallery’s regular Saturday hours, visitors were invited to observe and interact with Tn as she worked to painstakingly weave two massive 20 ft. x 20 ft. photographs detailing aspects of a textile factory in China for which she is one of the architects of record.

The composite image combines a wide shot of the factory cutting floor with a close-up of workers hands bunching textiles together.

I personally availed myself of this invitation and cherished the opportunity to begin to get to know the detailed mind at work behind this piece of art, but nothing that I saw prepared me for the impact of the finished piece, which dominated the generous gallery space, literally radiating the Herculean effort that went into its making. Tn’s piece, ultimately, calls into question the price of the labor involved in the global economy, and the piece is staggering even to those who failed to witness her work in progress (though it has been preserved in a time-lapse video recording).

The closing reception also included some reference photos to the subject factory, as well as some archival photos from the 1960s.

Though the process of creation was a major aspect of the piece, the finished work will be woefully underserved if it does not find a new home following its incipient de-installation; one hopes a work so topical, astonishingly executed, and intensively detailed finds another venue, where even more people can bear witness to it.

Tn alongside her work, a triumph of intention and execution.

The closing night crowd included luminaries of the WSU art department and the DIA.

2739 Edwin needs to clear the decks fast, with the opening reception for Natural Life, an experimental documentary by Tirtza Even that challenges inequities in the juvenile justice system. Saturday, September 14 will be the opening reception, from 6-10 p.m., with a panel discussion featuring civil rights lawyer Deborah LaBelle, installation and space designer Ivan Martinez, video installation producer and director Tirtza Even, and Donald Logan, who was sentenced to life without parole at age 17.

Photo courtesy of 2739 Edwin and the artist.

Much like both the outgoing and the incoming exhibits, 2739 Edwin gallery curator Steve Panton works tirelessly to raise awareness through art. His efforts are laudable and his results are dramatic and perception-altering. Hats off to 2739 Edwin for pulling no punches; keep the hits coming!

2739 Edwin Gallery: 2739 Edwin St., Hamtramck; 2739edwin.com. Gallery hours are Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. or by appointment (available by emailing [email protected]).