In Life of Imitation, Ming Wong revisits the context of the Golden Age of Singapore cinema in the 1950s and 60s, an era of nation-building struggle and rapid modernisation.
Inspired by the rich legacy, he re-reads ‘national cinema’ constructed through language, role-playing and identity, by re-interpreting films that are familiar to audiences spanning 2 generations, and which engage with performative notions of mis-casting and parroting. The first is a compendium of works by P. Ramlee, the wunderkind of Malay cinema. The second is the Hollywood melodrama ‘Imitation of Life’ (1959) by Douglas Sirk about a black mother and her ‘white’ daughter. The third is Wong Kar Wai’s ‘In the Mood for Love’ (2000) with actress Maggie Cheung rehearsing for a confrontation with her spouse about his infidelity.
Through these video interventions, the viewer is presented with questions related to roots, hybridity, and the politics of becoming. The exhibition also unveils cinema posters by Singapore’s last surviving billboard painter; rare screen memorabilia of a private collector; and documentaries by film-maker Sherman Ong. The Singapore Art Museum restages this award-winning exhibition with a new design and additional exhibits.The first presentation of this exhibition was at the Singapore Pavilion, 53rd Venice Biennale 2009 and it was awarded the Special Jury Mention by the Biennale. Ming Wong, Life of Imitation is curated by Guest Curator, Tang Fu Kuen.
