OF HOLLOWS AND EMBER
Artistry of Keith Ong
OF HOLLOWS AND EMBER
Artistry of Keith Ong
This documentation archives the hair artistry of Keith Ong, a sculptural series composed not merely with hair pieces, but with gesture, tactility, and the alchemy of unexpected materials. Each piece becomes an interface between body and abstraction, anchored in the tension between control and decay.
Eyelash Assemblage — Keith Ong, 2025
The first form emerges as a whisper—fine filaments of eyelash extensions layered into ridges and waves.
Like fossilised lashes of a forgotten beast, the piece is brushed with heat and pigment, resulting in a terrain that feels organic, almost breathing. It's a meditation on intimacy and meticulous construction, scaled to something surreal.
Polyurethane Crest — Keith Ong, 2025
From softness to solid, the second work moves into density—hair contorted with Polyurethane foam. Bulbous yet commanding, it crowns the head like petrified smoke.
A fossil of motion; suspended aggression. It recalls creatures that dwell beneath the crust of thought, erupting only in shadow.
Paper Strings — Keith Ong, 2025
A quiet descent into fragility. Fine paper strings, tangled and coiled, simulate the chaos of thought or the roots of memory.
Frayed, light-absorbing, the material translates hair into something more brittle—exposing the liminal state between body and decomposition. A withering crown.
Manta — Keith Ong, 2025
The fourth creation takes flight underwater—a sculpted silhouette inspired by the motion of the manta ray. Part helmet, part fins, its sweeping curves transform the wearer into something mythic.
The structure hovers between grace and menace; an exhale stretched into static form.
The Mask — Keith Ong, 2025
Lastly, a full-face hair mask conceals the figure entirely. Texture thickens. Threads cascade like burnt silk. It evokes mourning, molting, and reformation.
Here, the body disappears—leaving only surface, only residue. A shedding of presence.
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Eyelash Assemblage — Keith Ong, 2025
The first form emerges as a whisper—fine filaments of eyelash extensions layered into ridges and waves.
Like fossilised lashes of a forgotten beast, the piece is brushed with heat and pigment, resulting in a terrain that feels organic, almost breathing. It's a meditation on intimacy and meticulous construction, scaled to something surreal.
Eyelash Assemblage — Keith Ong, 2025
The first form emerges as a whisper—fine filaments of eyelash extensions layered into ridges and waves.
Like fossilised lashes of a forgotten beast, the piece is brushed with heat and pigment, resulting in a terrain that feels organic, almost breathing. It's a meditation on intimacy and meticulous construction, scaled to something surreal.
Polyurethane Crest — Keith Ong, 2025
From softness to solid, the second work moves into density—hair contorted with Polyurethane foam. Bulbous yet commanding, it crowns the head like petrified smoke.
A fossil of motion; suspended aggression. It recalls creatures that dwell beneath the crust of thought, erupting only in shadow.
Polyurethane Crest — Keith Ong, 2025
From softness to solid, the second work moves into density—hair contorted with Polyurethane foam. Bulbous yet commanding, it crowns the head like petrified smoke.
A fossil of motion; suspended aggression. It recalls creatures that dwell beneath the crust of thought, erupting only in shadow.
Paper Strings — Keith Ong, 2025
A quiet descent into fragility. Fine paper strings, tangled and coiled, simulate the chaos of thought or the roots of memory.
Frayed, light-absorbing, the material translates hair into something more brittle—exposing the liminal state between body and decomposition. A withering crown.
Paper Strings — Keith Ong, 2025
A quiet descent into fragility. Fine paper strings, tangled and coiled, simulate the chaos of thought or the roots of memory.
Frayed, light-absorbing, the material translates hair into something more brittle—exposing the liminal state between body and decomposition. A withering crown.
Manta — Keith Ong, 2025
The fourth creation takes flight underwater—a sculpted silhouette inspired by the motion of the manta ray. Part helmet, part fins, its sweeping curves transform the wearer into something mythic.
The structure hovers between grace and menace; an exhale stretched into static form.
Manta — Keith Ong, 2025
The fourth creation takes flight underwater—a sculpted silhouette inspired by the motion of the manta ray. Part helmet, part fins, its sweeping curves transform the wearer into something mythic.
The structure hovers between grace and menace; an exhale stretched into static form.
The Mask — Keith Ong, 2025
Lastly, a full-face hair mask conceals the figure entirely. Texture thickens. Threads cascade like burnt silk. It evokes mourning, molting, and reformation.
Here, the body disappears—leaving only surface, only residue. A shedding of presence.
The Mask — Keith Ong, 2025