She received her MArch in Design for Performance and Interaction from the Bartlett, University College of London (2018), and her BA in Architecture from the National University of Singapore (2015). Her work has been exhibited at the National Design Centre, Singapore; Objectifs Centre, Singapore; COP26 in Glasgow; Today Art Museum, Beijing. In 2022, she was part of the design team for the Singapore Pavilion at the 18th Biennale Architettura in Venice. In 2023, she was an artist-in-residence at the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy (CIRA). She currently teaches architecture studios at National University of Singapore, and at the Design Practice programme in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.
She is also a co-founder of awe.curation, a platform that presents artists and designers working at the intersection of art and technology.
EDUCATION
MArch, Design for Performance and Interaction,
The Bartlett, University College of London
2017—2018
BA (Hons) in Architecture, National University of Singapore
2011—2015
Adam Caruso Studio, ETH Zurich
2013
EXHIBITIONS
| | on paper
FARM @ Waterloo Centre, Singapore
Part of Singapore Art Week
17 January—9 February 2025
HEAL: Repair+
Centre 42, Singapore
Part of Singapore Design Week
26 Sep—6 Oct 2024
Lucy in the Sky with Debris (Solo)
Objectifs Centre for Photography & Film, Singapore
4—28 April 2024
OH! Kampong Gelam
Kampong Gelam, Singapore
30 March—12 May 2024
When is Enough, Enough? Singapore Pavilion
Biennale Architettura 2023, Venice
May—November 2023
Waste Refinery
National Design Centre, Singapore
2022
Weathering With You (Solo)
HEARTH Gallery, Art Outreach, Singapore
2021
Reimagining Museums for Climate Action
COP26, Glasgow Science Centre, Glasgow
2021
Here There
Today Art Museum, Beijing
2019
Bartlett Fifteen
The Bartlett, UCL, London
2018
Gradute Project Faire
Here East, UCL, London
2018
RESIDENCIES / WORKSHOPS
Southeast Asian Arts Residency,
Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia
June—July 2025
Artist-in-Residence,
Curtin Institute for Radio Astronomy, WA, Australia
September—October 2023
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Ong, Isabella and Tan, Wen Jun, 2021. ‘Healing and Intimacy in Climate Narratives’, in: Reimagining Museums for Climate Action, ed. by Rodney Harrison and Colin Sterling.
Ong, Isabella, 2020. ‘ĺchni: Devices for a Joyful Architecture‘, in LAF: Observation and Representation: 041, ed. Kongjian Yu.
SELECTED PRESS
Gwee, Sheryl, 2024. ‘Lucy in the Sky with Debris: Where Beauty and Destruction Collide’ in Plural Art.
2024
Carlson, Cajsa, 2024. ‘Heal: Repair+ exhibition turns broken items into design objects’ in Dezeen.
2024
Wardah Books, 2024. ‘Making Paper, Making Meaning’ in Wardah Books: Bussorah Bookseller Diary.
2024
Katsikopoulou, Myrto, 2022. ‘kinetic installation 'weathering with us' explores narratives of healing amid climate crisis’ in Designboom.
2022
SELECTED ARTIST TALKS, WORKSHOPS
‘Revenge of the Page: An Indexing Workshop’, FARM @ Waterloo Centre, Singapore
2025
‘HEAL: Repair+’ Panel Discussion, Centre 42, Singapore
2024
‘Introduction to Star Dreaming’, Science Centre, Singapore
2024
‘Lucy in the Sky with Debris: Artist Talk’, Science Centre, Singapore
2024
‘Lucy in the Sky with Debris: Artist Talk’, Objectifs Centre, Singapore
2024
‘Data as a Lover: On Physical Computation’, PechaKucha, Figment Club House, Singapore
2024
‘Space Junk, Uncertain Conjunctions & Future Myths’, Science Cafe, Science Centre, Singapore
2023
‘The Performance of Measurement’, World Architecture Festival, Singapore
2023
AWARDS & GRANTS
Creation Grant, National Arts Council (NAC)
2023 —2024
Finalist, Reimagining Museums for Climate Action Exhibition
2020
Honourable Mention, London Internet Museum, Buildner
2016
TEACHING
‘Contemporary Theory’, Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore
‘Studio’, Bachelor of Arts Design Practice, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
2025
‘Design 1 Studio’, Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore
‘Studio’, Bachelor of Arts Design Practice, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
‘Drawing & Making B’, Bachelor of Arts Design Practice, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
2024
‘Design 3 Studio’, Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore
2022