Bali Ong is an interdisciplinary artist and designer whose practice moves fluidly between digital media, installation, animation, photography, and graphic design. Drawing from both artistic and technological backgrounds, Ong explores the relationships between identity, culture, memory, and evolving digital realities. Their work often blends visual storytelling with interactive and immersive approaches, reflecting a deep curiosity about how personal and collective identities are constructed and transformed through contemporary media. Through experimentation across disciplines, Ong creates works that are both playful and reflective, inviting audiences into layered visual experiences shaped by cultural hybridity, technology, and human connection.
Bali Ong is currently pursuing an MFA in Fine Arts with a concentration in Art, Technology, and Culture at The University of Oklahoma. They previously completed both a BA in Art with a concentration in Graphic Design and a minor in Art History, as well as a BSc in Computer Simulation and Gaming with a Design Track minor in Computer Science at The University of Tulsa, graduating Magna Cum Laude in both degrees. Ong’s multidisciplinary background has informed a practice that bridges creative technologies, visual communication, and contemporary art. Their work has been recognized through numerous awards, including the Glenn Godsey Award for Best in Digital Media at the 54th Annual Gussman Juried Student Exhibition, Best in Show at the 53rd Annual Gussman Juried Student Exhibition, and 1st Place in College Level Digital Art at the Computer Simulation and Gaming Conference. Ong has exhibited works across a variety of media, including digital illustration, installation, photography, animation, mixed media, typography, sculpture, and app design. Recent exhibitions include 2025 MFA Inclusive at Lightwell Gallery, alongside multiple editions of the Gussman Juried Student Exhibition at Alexandre Hogue Gallery. Alongside their studio practice, Ong has worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at The University of Oklahoma, an Adobe InDesign Instructor at Tulsa Technology Center, and as an Assistant Digital Artist at The Engine Room VR.
At the core of Bali Ong’s artistic practice is an interest in how identity is shaped through layered cultural experiences, technological environments, and systems of representation. Their work frequently combines digital and physical processes, creating visual narratives that reflect hybridity, transformation, and the tension between tradition and contemporary life. Moving across mediums allows Ong to approach storytelling from multiple perspectives, often merging experimental design, animation, and installation into immersive experiences. Their practice embraces curiosity, play, and research as methods for examining how individuals navigate belonging, memory, and selfhood in rapidly shifting social and digital landscapes.
During the Evolving Identities residency at Studio 88 Artist Residency, Bali Ong intends to further investigate themes of cultural hybridity, transformation, and identity through experimental multimedia work. Drawing inspiration from Chiang Mai’s artistic communities, local visual culture, and everyday interactions, Ong plans to develop a body of work that combines digital illustration, moving image, installation, and research-based storytelling. The residency will offer an opportunity to explore how place, cultural exchange, and community engagement can shape new visual languages and immersive experiences.
Studio 88 Artist Residency is particularly suitable for Ong’s project because of its strong emphasis on intercultural dialogue, experimentation, and socially engaged artistic practice. The residency’s supportive environment and international creative community provide space for interdisciplinary exchange, allowing Ong to expand both the conceptual and collaborative dimensions of their work. The context of Chiang Mai — with its intersection of traditional culture, contemporary art, and evolving creative communities — offers meaningful inspiration for exploring questions surrounding identity, belonging, and transformation within a globalized world.
More about Bali Ong on their website.
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Studio 88 Artist Residency 