Lily Onga is an artist, illustrator, and animator based in Tokyo and Bangkok, of Thai-Chinese heritage.
Her practice spans illustration, short-form animation, and art direction. She developed a distinctive approach that brings whimsical, handmade aesthetics into dialogue with rigid systems; grids, interfaces, and everyday mechanical structures.
The seeds of her interest are rooted in logical observations, but her interpretation of the world is carried with a malleable, flexible imagination where fun and emotions are prioritised. These works are reflected in her art pieces, books, and exhibitions.
Working with both hands, she is drawn to movement, hidden systems, and quiet humor. Her observations of antique shops, museum collections, domestic interiors, patisserie displays, and craftsmen’s tools inform her work. Ideas begin as small sketches and handwritten notes, evolving through hands-on, analog processes. These often culminate in pieces that move, reveal, or subtly come to life.
Handmade, A System, Catalogue, Play - these four keywords explain the essence of her work.
For work collaboration, please get in touch with her at
2026 🥈Silver, Illustration, “NewOne Awards”
2025 🥇Gold Cube, Illustration, “ADC 104th Annual Awards (New York Art Directors Club)”
2025 🥈Runner-Up Grand Prize, “SICF26” (Spiral Independent Creator Fair)
2025 Excellence Award, Musashino Art University Graduation Works
2023 Bangkok Art & Culture Center Award, “Bangkok Illustration Fair”
2019 🏆Grand Prize, “Degree Show 2019”
2025 Solo Exhibition “Menu World” (Sanzou Gallery / Tokyo)
2026 Group Exhibition “Cenreta Art Award Exhibition” (Matsuzakaya Nagoya / Nagoya)
2026 Group Exhibition “SICF26” Awards Winners (Spiral Hall / Tokyo)
2025 “Tokyo Art Book Fair” (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo / Tokyo)
2025 Group Exhibition “Subrent” with OVEN Network via Tokyo Biennale (Ebihara Shoten / Tokyo)
2025 Group Exhibition “morphopoiesis” (West Bund Museum / Shanghai)
2025 Group Exhibition “Excellent Works Exhibition” (Musashino Art University Museum / Tokyo)
2025 “SICF26” EXHIBITION Division (Spiral Hall / Tokyo)
2024 Group Exhibition “Visual Biography” (BACC / Bangkok)
2023 “Bangkok Illustration Fair” (BACC / Bangkok)
2021 “Bangkok Art Book Fair” (Bangkok CITY CITY Gallery / Bangkok)
2019 Group Exhibition “Storytelling Project by Bangkok Art Book Fair” (Thailand Creative & Design Centre at Commons Ideo Q / Bangkok)
2019 Group Exhibition “Degree Show 2019 Finalists” (Siam Discovery / Bangkok)
2019 Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design, Chulalongkorn University
2025 Master’s Degree in Science of Design, Musashino Art University