Lot 145: JIMMY ONG

JIMMY ONG
B. 1964
FIFTEENTH
Signed, titled 'Fifteenth' and dated 2001 lower middle
Charcoal on paper
225 by 128 cm.; 88 1/2 by 50 1/4 in.
S$9000-15000
US$5450-9090

At his 10th solo exhibition entitled Lovers' Rocks, Jimmy Ong added further dimensions to his figurative works. From an early point in his career the artist had used the human figure to express the complexities of human relationships, always choosing to present them as expressive charcoal sketches. Two figures connected to each other, whether in an embrace, in the midst of sexual intercourse, or even in a dance, have provided the artist with opportunities to explore the sublime and mundane, the compassion and cruelty, in the relationship between loved ones. With Lovers' Rocks, Ong's starting point is the fascination with wrestling, and with wrestling poses he had seen from television.
Fifteenth presents an intriguing dynamic between a male and a female figure. The woman appears to be restraining the man in front of her. Yet the situation may not be as simple as it appears. The man seems to lean forward as if to distance himself, yet his hands show him to clutch those of the woman. Or perhaps he is leading her forward. The woman wears a gentle smile and an attitude that is almost maternal, nurturing. Who has the emotional and physical upper hand in this arrangement? The absence of a definitive answer reflects Ong's understanding of the reality and mystery of human relationships when you scratch beyond the surface.