Donna Ong


Donna Ong is a Singaporean artist. She is known for her installation works, which often feature environments created with assemblages, found objects, and sculpture. Her practice draws upon notions of botany, landscaping, and representations of nature in both European and Chinese art.
She has exhibited locally and internationally, from the inaugural Singapore Biennale in 2006, the 11th Venice Biennale International Architectural Exhibition in 2008, to the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 2018.

Education and personal life

Donna Ong was born in 1978, daughter of the Singaporean sculptor Michael Ong. Ong attended the Malvern Girls College in Worcestershire, England, now known as Malvern St James. In 1996, Ong began studying the Bartlett Centre in University College London, graduating in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. In 1999, Ong was awarded the bond-free Shell-NAC Arts Scholarship of Singapore to attend Goldsmiths College at the University of London. She graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, after which she returned to Singapore. She obtained her MFA from LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore in 2012.

Influences

Ong's father has taught her manual skills in sculpture that are so vital to create significant works. A lot of her work is inspired by natural history, mythology and psychology. It initially had a morbid and haunting quality that has evolved with time into a more serene atmosphere. Ong’s work would be the contemporary version of the “Gesamtkunstwerk” as her installations feature a total environment with which the audience can readily interact. Although the influence of design and architecture is noticeable in her work, there is no doubt that she is fundamentally interested in the production of meaning. Her innate aesthetic sense contributes to the creation of impressive artworks.
Her works are also strongly informed by philosophy, in particular by European philosophers Lyotard and Derrida. Her art practice is very labour-intensive as she manually designs and produces objects and cooperates with lighting and sound specialists to produce the effects she is looking for.

Career

Ong's work has been shown at both local and international exhibitions, institutions, and festivals. She has exhibited at institutions such as the Singapore Art Museum, NUS Museum, and the National Gallery Singapore, as well as at the inaugural Singapore Biennale in 2006. Internationally, she has participated in the 2nd Moscow Biennale in 2007, represented at the Singapore Pavilion during the 11th Venice Biennale International Architectural Exhibition in 2008, the Kwandu Biennale in 2008, the Jakarta Biennale in 2009, the Moscow Biennale of Young Art in 2014, and the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 2018.
Some past works include:

Awards