Between Bloom and Becoming: Catherine Ong
Catherine Ong, founder of Arkateori, presents Between Bloom and Becoming featuring her playful sculptural works, inviting viewers to seek freedom within softly toned, richly textured worlds. This exhibition marks the official announcement of her representation by the gallery. Coming in the wake of (Not So) Silent Waters, which christened ARTitude’s Galería’s 2026, Between Bloom and Becoming continues to focus on the natural elements whilst turning to Asian artists and other art mediums. A trauma-informed and certified Somatic-Art coach, Catherine Ong started painting nineteen years ago, but only began textural work after the passing of her mother. Struggling with grief, Catherine found that not only could she place it within textural art, but memories of her mother too.
Working primarily with construction materials like plaster and acrylic, with hands and brushes for tools, Catherine’s work taps into the primal undercurrents that flow through us. Letting memory and feelng take shape in ripping structures that rise across canvas and air, colours mutating as they ebb and flow across open space. With a varied background that includes fashion, interior design and construction, as well as her co-founding of Arkateori, a texture art studio, with her brother, Catherine crafts speciality artwork defined by folds and drapes, echoing the craft lineage of her mother; a tailor. Each piece is an intentional dialogue between endurance and grace, with the void at its core to remind you to embrace flaws over filling spaces in.
Between Bloom and Becoming invites a moment of pause, where what appears delicate is in fact shaped by strength, a quiet tribute to the enduring presence of a mother’s love. At the core of her practice, imperfections hold power.
