❓WHAT HAPPENED: Saint Sebastian has been depicted as an Asian transgender man in a new art exhibit at London’s National Gallery.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Singaporean artist Ming Wong, The National Gallery in London, transgender models, and Christians.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The exhibit is currently displayed at the National Gallery as part of the institution’s Modern and Contemporary Programme.
💬KEY QUOTE: “There isn’t a better time to reimagine the stories that these characters and creatures inhabiting these worlds can tell one another, and their exchanges that cross centuries and civilizations beyond the frames.” – Ming Wong
🎯IMPACT: The exhibit has sparked criticism and backlash from Christians, social media users, and the British tax-paying public.
A new art exhibit at London’s National Gallery portrays Saint Sebastian, an early Christian martyr, as an Asian transgender. Created by Singaporean artist Ming Wong, the exhibit uses transgender models to portray the saint in a series of videos. “There isn’t a better time to reimagine the stories that these characters and creatures inhabiting these worlds can tell one another, and their exchanges that cross centuries and civilizations beyond the frames,” Wong argues.
Supposedly inspired by St. Sebastian’s martyrdom, in which he was shot to death with arrows by Roman soldiers while bound to a tree or pillar, the exhibit depicts transgender models listening to a seashell, dancing, and performing martial arts. The exhibit also includes audio of a Latin translation of British art historian Kenneth Clark’s final monologue from Civilisation, a seminal 13-part series released in 1969 by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The series provides a history of Western culture and is highly regarded by conservatives.
St. Sebastian was martyred after he was found converting Roman officials to Christianity and providing aid to imprisoned Christians in the third century. The saint was executed on the orders of Roman Emperor Diocletian, who led the infamous Great Persecution of the early Christians, and is a symbol of enduring Christian faith and male beauty.
Saint Sebastian is a figure who has inspired artists for centuries 💘
Our 2025 Artist in Residence, Ming Wong, continues this tradition in our latest free exhibition, ‘ming wong: Dance of the sun on the water | Saltatio solis in aqua’. Wong’s short film and installation draw on… pic.twitter.com/qVuDnX6gTD
— National Gallery (@NationalGallery) January 15, 2026
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