For this exercise, we went out to the gallery in a group, we looked at different artworks to find an artist and artwork that utilised objects and collections as a piece of artwork. I think this was a valuable experience because Tate Modern is an art gallery that includes a lot of different genres of work. I feel like by looking at others’ work, I will be able to get inspired by those marvelous artworks and really use the inspiration in my own work.
Below is some artwork that we thought will be related to the project, but we did not use it at the end, I think it will still be worth recording it in case in the future we need them as reference.
Life of Imitation – Ming Wong and Tseng Kwong Chi
At the end of the gallery visit, we decided on the artist that our group was going to do for the presentation which was Life of Imitation by Ming Wong and Tseng Kwong Chi. Other than these four paintings, there was also a short film acted by Ming Wong show in a form of a split screen. This was an interesting way to show this artwork because this film used actors from different races, to show the same plot and characters. Therefore using the split screen can make this message even more obvious and the make it became more powerful.
I find a strong connection with this art piece because I lived in Singapore for 8 years, and I noticed that this is a country that has a combination of 3 different races. It was a refreshing thing to notice and I was surprised by the diversity when I first went to Singapore. Therefore after further researching and understood about this artwork and its artist, I know more about the negative side of this situation, where the problem of discrimination and prejudice on race, gender and identity are still happening around us and its still the topic that we need to improve and work on.
Through the reenactments of classic movies, the audience can empathize with the characters more. I understood the concept of “race” that the artist wanted to convey through the constantly changing cast. I didn’t know it was about Singapore at first, but when I guessed the culture that the actors might be originated through their appearance, it suddenly connected with the experience I had in Singapore and I became more involved in the work. However, my reaction was also a presentation of stereotypes that although they were from different races, they could all be called Singaporeans and no one should be treated differently. I feel very strongly about this work, and I’m glad to see something so close to me in the UK, which is so far away from Singapore. It not only conveys the international issues that we need to focus on now, but it also shows the unique ethnic culture of Singapore.
The following informations are the research I did for this artist and artwork, we have a presentation together as a group to introduce this artwork to the class.
Ming Wong is a Singaporean artist who was born in 1971 and worked in Berlin. He specializes in exploring a person’s identity through film and today’s pop culture, or themes that are related to identities such as culture and race, and delivering different meanings through his reenactments of the classic.
The reenactments of Wong’s Life of Imitation come from Douglas Sirk’s 1959 remake of the classic film “Imitation of Life. It is a story that delivered issues such as class, culture, and gender. Wong’s piece features a scene that shows a conflict between a black mother who visits her daughter, who has a near-white complexion, and who also sees herself as white. The theme of this work continues to revolve around the dilemma of multiraciality and gender and their impacts on identity.
This is also the theme that Wong emphasized in this work which is racial Passing. Passing in the context of identity occurs when people of one race are identified by people of another race. This was relatively common in the past, for instance when the black race assimilated itself into the white majority to escape the social injustice and discrimination faced by the black community at that time.
His works are diverse, and he uses painting, video, photography, and installation elements to convey the message he wants to bring to the audience.
By reinterpreting classic films, the work releases the emotions caused by these issues. In this work, the three men are played by the three main cultural groups in Singapore, Malay, Chinese, and Indians, and this unexpected choice brings a strong sense of contrast to the audience.