Baring it all with Boon Ong

Boon Ong is a photographer whose passion work of figurative art began as a coming out journey. Today, he wants to use his art as a way to advocate for new freedom, break down barriers and taboos, and create a safe space for people to find confidence in their own bodies, sexuality, and expression. We caught up with Boon before the Pride In Art Show to learn about how his art has evolved since he shared his photography with us last year.

Pride In Business: What motivates you to be creative?

Boon Ong: With my mundane day-to-day life with work, adult responsibilities, and taking care of my family, photography and shibari have become the avenue for me to escape, create and express. This passion work is very personal to me, and it has always been, without having to care or conform to society’s standards, please audiences, get likes on social media, or follow trends. It is when I create that I am in my own little world, daydreaming, envisioning, being mindful of how I feel. My biggest motivation to be creative: boredom, status quo, depression, and the craving for quiet time to not think and truly connect.

PIB: How has your art changed your life over the years? Has it opened any doors recently?

BO: The process of creating art did change my life. It allows me to connect with humans from all walks of life, listen to their stories, open up my worldview and build a lot of new friendships. It helps me to get through a few mental health challenges, continuously explore my own sexuality, and get me out of my comfort zone to do something else that I otherwise won’t necessarily think of doing.

I am fortunate that my art has opened the door for me to connect with more audiences through speaking at conferences, and workshops and exhibiting work in local galleries.

PIB: What would be your biggest achievement as an artist so far?

BO: I have accumulated a very extensive resume over the years, including winning a few local and international awards, exhibition and speaking opportunities, artwork being used as reference teaching material at Visual College of Art & Design (VCAD) of Vancouver, etc. My biggest achievement is organizing and managing a local exhibition Dirty Laundry - The Second Load, featuring artists that specialized in figurative art photography held in February 2023. It was a successful event that attracted more than 600 audiences to see the exhibitions and received much positive feedback.

PIB: How has your art evolved since you first began?

BO: Initially, my photography centred around empathetically capturing the story and energy of my subject. As shibari became a more intrinsic element of my imagery, so did my own story and energy. Now instead of stepping into the world of my subject, they're invited to step into mine. The story we explore is one of my design — a far departure from my earlier work.

Ironically, on the mission to seek and express freedom through nude photography, I found imposing physical restrictions to become a whole new level of liberation and a new lesson to live and let live.

PIB: The theme of this year’s exhibition is Identity. How does your art embody this theme?

Beyond gender identity and sexual orientation, which are frequently discussed, our sexual expression, ethnic culture, age, our relationship to our body, lifestyle, and kink all play a huge part in our identity. My work is an exploration of some of these elements. An attempt to normalize and celebrate them.

PIB: What attracted you to nude art photography?

BO: It started 10 years ago when I attended a local studio lighting workshop, and the subject model was nude. It was nerve-wracking at the beginning, but over time, the intentional appreciation of the human body, taking time to admire it while attempting to create and feature them in photos, gave a whole new perspective of how much we have discriminated nude art and made it a taboo. The interest and continuance of shooting nude art grew organically over time. The struggle, the negative self-talk, the vulnerability of the model and how they finally find comfort and liberation through the process resonate with me. It’s almost equivalent to me finding liberation from my own sexuality.

PIB: How did your life experiences in Malaysia influence your work?

BO: My upbringing has a lot of influence on my work. Like most Asian parents, they want their children to become an engineer, a lawyer or a doctor. And I did become an engineer. When I first started photographing nude art and sharing my work openly, my parents didn’t like the idea, thinking it could jeopardize my career and calling me a disgrace. My surrounding friends, although they mean no harm, many have teased and joked about my art and questioned my intent of doing it.

At the time, I was very defensive with what I do. Every embarrassment or shame from others felt like an attack on me. The rebellious side of me wanted to continue shooting nude art, hoping to prove to everyone that I am not committing crime or doing anything that is hurtful to others. It was soon that I realized subconsciously, I have used nude art to represent my sexuality as a gay man. I was upset because I was teased and shamed about being a gay man. Since then, nude art photography has become a part of my sexuality, a way for me to yell for freedom and being understood.

PIB: What message do you want people to remember after seeing your art?

BO: Be who you are, come out, and live life. You may not resonate with what you see but don’t yuck someone else’s yum. Understand, respect, and don’t discriminate.

PIB: Who are some photographers or directors that inspired your work?

BO: Menelik Puryear is a fashion photographer that goes by the Instagram handle @hardciderny. He shoots mostly male models. I admire his style because his work is very lifestyle, careful, chill and relaxed all at the same time. Taking away the sexy bodies he has access to, there are many layers to the environment, and the shots always have a lot of technical elements in them.

Two other influences for me are Asian directors Wong Kar Wai and Ang Lee. They created movies such as In the Midst of Love, Sense and Sensibility and Brokeback Mountain. The reason why I liked them is because of their storytelling and mood creation. No matter what type of movie they are working on, they have the power to create the aesthetic and mood that makes the audience feel and believe, although it might be a story, era, or place that are completely different from their cultural background.

To experience Boon’s work and the work of other featured artists, get your tickets for the Pride In Art event on May 26, 2023, here.

Website: boonongfiguratif.com
Instagram: @bofiguratif

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

**Michael Fong**
*PIB — Communications, Events, & Social Media Manager*

Pride In Business article in partnership with TD.
By Michael Fong

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