Cover One of Donna Ong’s mediums is found objects
One of Donna Ong’s mediums is found objects
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Three female artists across generations, including Donna Ong, explore identity, storytelling and empowerment through their distinctive artistic practices
For years, Donna Ong has been captivated by jungles. This fixation is part of her broader exploration of archetypal landscapes, a theme central to her artistic practice and most recently showcased in Idealized Realms, a duo exhibition with lacquer artist Phi Phi Oanh, presented by Fost Gallery.
The exhibition drew inspiration from classical Chinese garden design philosophies, which embody idealised representations of the natural world. Ong’s contributions included works from her Every World series, originally commissioned by the National Gallery Singapore for its Children’s Biennale: Embracing Wonder in 2019. These dioramas, encased in glass vitrines, depict archetypal landscapes such as Desert, Garden, Underground, and Undergrowth, exploring the delicate interplay between fantasy and reality.
Contemplating the origins of her fascination, the 46-year-old shares, “I didn’t travel much until I was older ... in university. When I read, I would imagine places such as fields of buttercups or mountains.” Her first travels deepened this connection between imagination and reality: “When I grew older and travelled, that experience of seeing a place for the first time, whether they matched my imagination or not, were quite profound moments.”
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Above Ong (pictured left) wears Hermès outfit. Sarah Choo Jing (centre) wears Tod’s outfit. Kumari Nahappan (right) wears Hermès coat, scarf, her own dress
Ong (pictured left) wears Hermès outfit. Sarah Choo Jing (centre) wears Tod’s outfit. Kumari Nahappan (right) wears Hermès coat, scarf, her own dress
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For Ong, who has a background in architecture, the landscapes she creates are an embodiment of her imagined worlds. “Those landscapes come closest to what I had imagined when I thought of a jungle, a quay, or the seaside,” she says. Her connection to jungles, in particular, is layered with complexity. “There’s a part of me that rebels against the traditional view of the jungle,” she explains. “But I also understand why people make those images and why they are all around us in interior design [and art]. There’s something about them that draws us in. For me, that [fascination] is tied to the feeling that maybe this is how the forest should be.”
Ong’s fascination with storytelling has deep roots. Art was ever-present during her childhood, thanks to her father, sculptor Michael Ong, who fostered a “good atmosphere”. Her artistic influences extended beyond her home, like when she encountered the works of sculptor Han Sai Por at an exhibition her father brought her to. “She was working with stone. She’s quite petite, but I could see her strength in her body and demeanour,” Ong recalls. “That was a moment where I thought that, as a woman, I can be an artist. I can do something that is not watercolour or painting, but is, more male-dominated, like sculpture.”
Above Ong wears Hermès outfit
Ong wears Hermès outfit
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Her upbringing also shaped Ong’s experimental approach to materials, particularly her use of found objects. “My parents collected antiques. During my childhood, we were always looking through things and arranging them. I love the way that objects tell a story,” she says. Reflecting on how found objects shape her work, she explains, “I’m perfectionistic, and that prevents my work from reaching a good level because I always want to tidy it up. Found objects prevent me from doing that because they have their own nature and force you to react. Fighting against the material creates interesting juxtapositions.”
Her works have been showcased both locally and internationally, including the Kwandu Biennale (2008), 2nd Moscow Biennale (2007), and Moscow Biennale of Young Art (2014). She has participated in prestigious residencies such as Arts Initiative Tokyo and Koganecho Bazaar (Japan) and Krinzinger Projekte (Austria). Her installations have also been featured in renowned institutions worldwide.
Above One of Ong’s dioramas in her ‘Every World’ series (Photo: Instagram / @art.sg)
One of Ong’s dioramas in her ‘Every World’ series (Photo: Instagram / @art.sg)
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Despite her accolades, Ong’s art is rooted in her desire to connect with viewers. One of her earliest realisations of this came during her A-levels when she created Alpha Omega, a sculpture depicting a woman dying while giving birth, with an angel taking her away. A couple, whose daughter had attended Ong’s school and passed away, were touched by the piece. “They were moved by the way death was represented in that artwork. They gave me a scholarship [to further my art learning], but also wanted to replicate the work,” she says. The couple cast her sculpture in bronze, using the proceeds to support a charity. “At that time, I realised that art can move people. It can bring healing to them.”
Her upcoming projects include a presentation at the Art SG art fair this month, where she will present a more nuanced portrayal of tropical forests, drawing inspiration from Victorian explorer and painter Marianne North. “The forest is always portrayed as male[-centric], but there were women explorers as well,” Ong explains. “Marianne wore Victorian dress corsets and ventured into jungles in Brazil, Singapore and Borneo. She also painted beautiful landscapes of the places she visited.” Ong’s project will feature five dioramas inspired by North’s work. “Hopefully, it’s a more accurate way of seeing the forest [when we see it] through her eyes,” she adds.
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Credits
Photography: Darren Gabriel Leow
Styling: Adriel Chiun
Hair: Leong, using Kevin Murphy
Make-Up: Wee Ming, using Gucci Beauty
Topics
Nafeesa Saini is the Features Editor at Tatler Singapore, where she shapes long-form stories on culture, business, philanthropy, wellness, and the people driving change in Asia. With a deep interest in storytelling that intersects meaningfully with identity and impact, she has profiled a diverse range of visionaries, from scientific pioneers in AI and health to creative trailblazers and literary minds.
Nafeesa’s writing includes cover stories and profiles that spotlight influential voices, alongside commentary on the trends reshaping our world.
Off the clock, Nafeesa unwinds with fiction, a good thrift hunt, and ‘brainrot’ TikTok scroll—while always keeping one eye on her next cultural getaway, usually to Indonesia.
