LONG DISTANCE

Yavuz Gallery, Sydney

14 May - 6 June 2020

Based between London and Singapore, Ong’s latest body of work considers various forms of connection, attachment and longing in relation to physical and emotional distance, exploring the accentuated longings and desires that accompany prolonged periods of isolation, distance and displacement.

Sayang (2020) oil on canvas, 150 x 200cm, in group show, “The Possibility of an Island”, 5 - 25 November 2020, Arndt Art Agency, Cromwell Place, London

Sayang (2020) oil on canvas, 150 x 200cm, in group show, “The Possibility of an Island”, 5 - 25 November 2020, Arndt Art Agency, Cromwell Place, London

Dondang Sayang (2020) oil on canvas, 175 x 200cm, in group show, “The Possibility of an Island”, 5 - 25 November 2020, Arndt Art Agency, Cromwell Place, London

Dondang Sayang (2020) oil on canvas, 175 x 200cm, in group show, “The Possibility of an Island”, 5 - 25 November 2020, Arndt Art Agency, Cromwell Place, London

NIGHT SHIFTMine Project, Hong KongOctober 22 - December 5, 2020Marking a shift towards introspection in a world where human intimacy has taken on new meaning, Ong’s recent paintings are a reflection of the artist’s ongoing interests in the physicality of the body, and how human experiences of inhabitation are being reshaped in the current moment.The figures are framed by the pictorial screens in which they inhabit. Faces are set against surreal backdrops of pink and blue hues evoking both natural and artificial light. Eyelids are often shut, dreamy, introspective and restless. Arms, heads, hands and feet intersect, merge and collide across different planes in fragmented yet intimate scenes, emphasizing dislocation over location.The larger canvases are spatially set as if on a narrow stage, with pictorial screens, objects and window devices used to simultaneously demarcate and complicate exterior and interior realms, in a world where human identities, both online and off, have become increasingly blurred.

NIGHT SHIFT

Mine Project, Hong Kong

October 22 - December 5, 2020

Marking a shift towards introspection in a world where human intimacy has taken on new meaning, Ong’s recent paintings are a reflection of the artist’s ongoing interests in the physicality of the body, and how human experiences of inhabitation are being reshaped in the current moment.

The figures are framed by the pictorial screens in which they inhabit. Faces are set against surreal backdrops of pink and blue hues evoking both natural and artificial light. Eyelids are often shut, dreamy, introspective and restless. Arms, heads, hands and feet intersect, merge and collide across different planes in fragmented yet intimate scenes, emphasizing dislocation over location.

The larger canvases are spatially set as if on a narrow stage, with pictorial screens, objects and window devices used to simultaneously demarcate and complicate exterior and interior realms, in a world where human identities, both online and off, have become increasingly blurred.