Jimmy Ong, Blue-boy on Chinese Beach Mat, 1987

Charcoal and oil pastel on paper  
146 x 88 cm (visible), 173 x 115 x 2 cm (framed)
Condition: Good, with overall oxidisation of paper. There is a small tear on the bottom right corner of the world, measuring 1.5 cm. The condition is consistent with age of the work.

-

Jimmy Ong has built his practice since the 1980s around large-scale, figurative charcoal drawings, working almost exclusively from the nude figure. His early works emerged in a Singapore marked by state policing of queer spaces, and he and fellow artist Tan Peng were among the first Singaporean men to come out publicly as gay.

The body in his drawings is rarely just anatomy; it carries his ongoing exploration of sexual identity, gender roles and tension within the traditional Chinese family structure, alongside more personal, often ambiguous depictions of familial and romantic relationships. Ong has described drawing itself as a form of spiritual practice and "creative self-therapy," a way of working through identity directly on the paper rather than illustrating it from a distance.

-

Jimmy Ong (Singaporean, b. 1964) is a multidisciplinary visual artist working between Yogyakarta and Singapore. He trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, graduating in 1992, and initially gained recognition with large-scale figurative charcoal drawings. These works frequently explored queer male bodies, sexuality, family dynamics, and personal identity rooted in his upbringing in Chinatown. His early formation is represented in works like the Chinatown Suite, a series of sketches from 1985-87, now part of NUS Museum collections.

In later years, Ong's practice evolved into socially engaged installations and relational work that interrogated colonial histories and regional memory, particularly through ongoing engagement with the figure of Stamford Raffles across Javanese and Singaporean narratives. His signature Seamstresses' Raffles series, involving embroidered batik effigies and performances in collaboration with artisans in Yogyakarta, reflect his broader critique of colonial legacy and embodiment of spiritual, feminist, and queer perspectives. His works have appeared in institutions including the National Gallery Singapore, NUS Museum, Asian Civilisations Museum, and Tyler Rollins Fine Art, among others.

(Photographed in July 2026)

Charcoal and oil pastel on paper  
146 x 88 cm (visible), 173 x 115 x 2 cm (framed)
Condition: Good, with overall oxidisation of paper. There is a small tear on the bottom right corner of the world, measuring 1.5 cm. The condition is consistent with age of the work.

-

Jimmy Ong has built his practice since the 1980s around large-scale, figurative charcoal drawings, working almost exclusively from the nude figure. His early works emerged in a Singapore marked by state policing of queer spaces, and he and fellow artist Tan Peng were among the first Singaporean men to come out publicly as gay.

The body in his drawings is rarely just anatomy; it carries his ongoing exploration of sexual identity, gender roles and tension within the traditional Chinese family structure, alongside more personal, often ambiguous depictions of familial and romantic relationships. Ong has described drawing itself as a form of spiritual practice and "creative self-therapy," a way of working through identity directly on the paper rather than illustrating it from a distance.

-

Jimmy Ong (Singaporean, b. 1964) is a multidisciplinary visual artist working between Yogyakarta and Singapore. He trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, graduating in 1992, and initially gained recognition with large-scale figurative charcoal drawings. These works frequently explored queer male bodies, sexuality, family dynamics, and personal identity rooted in his upbringing in Chinatown. His early formation is represented in works like the Chinatown Suite, a series of sketches from 1985-87, now part of NUS Museum collections.

In later years, Ong's practice evolved into socially engaged installations and relational work that interrogated colonial histories and regional memory, particularly through ongoing engagement with the figure of Stamford Raffles across Javanese and Singaporean narratives. His signature Seamstresses' Raffles series, involving embroidered batik effigies and performances in collaboration with artisans in Yogyakarta, reflect his broader critique of colonial legacy and embodiment of spiritual, feminist, and queer perspectives. His works have appeared in institutions including the National Gallery Singapore, NUS Museum, Asian Civilisations Museum, and Tyler Rollins Fine Art, among others.

(Photographed in July 2026)

Artwork located in: Singapore