PRESENTATION: Ming Wong-Wayang Spaceship

The world of cinema is Ming Wong’s gateway to imagination. In many of his works, he subverts the role of the actor in order to reveal how gender, race, nationality, language, body type and other categories are always a form of performance. Sometimes Wong plays all the roles himself—even learning different languages to do so.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Singapore Art Museum (SAM) Archive

Ming Wong’s site-specific commissioned work “Wayang Spaceship”, marks the launch of The Everyday Museum, SAM’s flagship public art initiative, which will bring artistic interventions into everyday spaces and transform them into meaningful encounters for and with communities.  The work, is on display at SAM’s recently launched post-industrial premises at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Emerging from Ming Wong’s research on the transnational circulation of Cantonese opera cinema, “Wayang Spaceship” seeks to reflect upon the intersections between the island’s cultural forms borne from migration, and contemporary technology. The primary structure is made up of marine timbers sourced from Southeast Asia, combined with solar-reflective canvases commonly used in the agriculture industry. Its construction is a collaboration with master stage builder Lee Beng Seng and architect Randy Chan, an advocate for sustainable building techniques. Wong also worked with the artist Liam Morgan to create the scenography of lightboxes containing dichroic film layers. By day, the seemingly dormant “Wayang Spaceship” mirrors the surroundings and movements of the container seaport. At dusk, it is activated through an array of light, sound and moving images, evoking a futurist Chinese opera from another dimension. The world of cinema is Wong’s gateway to imagination. In many of his works, he subverts the role of the actor to reveal how gender, race, nationality, language, body type and other categories are a form of performance. Wong has maintained a particular interest in Cantonese opera, having grown up with it in Singapore. Since 2012, he has investigated the modernisation of the genre, its cinematic transformations and unlikely relationship with the development of science fiction. “Wayang Spaceship”, features a range of performances and access programmes. The project will also be hosted on a dedicated website featuring the artist’s writings, archives alongside curatorial texts. This commission is made possible with the generous support of Sun Venture. Ming Wong has maintained a particular interest in Cantonese opera, having grown up with it in Singapore. Since 2012, he has investigated the modernisation of Cantonese opera in the 20th century, its cinematic transformations and unlikely relationship with the development of science fiction in the Chinese speaking world. Alongside “Wayang Spaceship”, other works that address this theme include “Windows on The World (Parts 1 & 2)” (2014), “Blast off into the Sinosphere” (2014), and “Scenography for a Chinese Science Fiction Opera” (2015). The latter was a work that invited the public to walk through a full scale hand painted stage set of a hypothetical science-fiction themed Chinese opera inspired by cosmological motifs from Buddhist cave paintings and Eastern Bloc science fiction movies. Wong represented Singapore at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009 with his solo exhibition, “Life of Imitation”. The “Wayang Spaceship” at the Singapore Art Museum will evolve over a two year period, and will feature a range of performances and access programmes.

Photo: Ming Wong, Wayang Spaceship, 2022, Conception and Lead Artist: Ming Wong, Architecture and Design: Randy Chan, ZARCH Collaboratives, Wayang Stage: Lee Beng Seng, Lightboxes and Projection: Liam Morgan, Video: Eric Lee, Sound: Wu Jun Han, Sound design consultant: Shah Tahir, Technical Production: ARTFACTORY, Graphic Design: CROP.SG, Curatorial and Texts: Shabbir Hussain Mustafa, Syaheedah Iskandar, Production Management: Teo Loo Bing

Info: Singapore Art Museum (SAM), Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road, Singapore, Duration: 15/7/2022-31/1/2023, www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/