Ming Wong: Life of Imitation

Ming Wong expresses his love of cinema in a curious fashion. The Singapore-born, Berlin-based artist recreates scenes from classic films, but casting himself – or other, equally unsuitable actors – in the main roles. In Life of Imitation, which earned a Special Jury Mention at the 2009 Venice Biennale, he presents unfaithful reenactments of Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love – here called In Love for the Mood, with a Caucasian actress in the role originally played by Maggie Cheung – and Douglas Sirk's Imitation of Life, as well as a number of scenes from films by Malay director P Ramlee. To further heighten the effect, Wong has enlisted Singapore's last movie billboard painter to create pictures for each film, evoking the city's own cinematic golden age.