Ben Ali Ong: Nyctophilia

Overview

The haunting and atmospheric imagery created by Singapore-born, Sydney-based artist Ben Ali Ong will be on show at Artereal Gallery this month. The artist usually works across photo media, film, and mixed media; however, his newest series Nyctophilia is a nocturnal suite of black and white photographs.

This understated and contemplative exhibition is aimed at inviting ideas rather than expressing them. Among the new batch of photographs, there are foggy nights with slivers of moon, spot-lit mannequins, creased love letters, and verses of censored poetry. Many of the works featured contain suggestive fragments. In combination, they take on the air of an arthouse murder mystery.

Ong found himself in hot water a few years ago when he was accused of plagiarism. Back in 2012, he was an artist on the rise, exhibiting as a finalist across multiple art prizes and major galleries. The controversy ignited the familiar debate around originality in the art world. Three years later, it seems he's back on the path toward cementing himself as a significant Australian photographer.