: : Artist Statement : :

As an artist in new media, Monica Ong questions the social hierarchies and gender roles of her multi-cultural upbringing in multi-media installations and interactive narratives. Her research in China and the Philippines investigates the question of honor in the landscape of family coming to terms with the realities of aging, illness and death. She creates art as witness to the clashing of the clinical and cultural, the ambivalence towards both medical and mystical beliefs, as well as the dis-ease of secrecy and silence, simmering in the bloodlines of family.

Drawing from documentary photography and video, interviews with extended family, and archives of ancestral history, Monica begins her creative process with journaling and translation, which is then honed as non-linear narratives. The stories inform the image-making process and become the structure for sonic compositions, both of which are integrated into a physical installation and simultaneous online interactive story for audiences to explore. Monica’s art extends beyond the gallery into cyberspace in order to open the cultural dialogue to more diverse audiences. Her work seeks to raise awareness and critical evaluation on the role of culture and tradition in the social and emotional landscape of public health.