Imitation so fun!

Posted by ser under Exhibitions, art
(0) Comment • (1721) Reads • Permalink

As an avid fan of movies, I have the hobby of collecting ticket stubs since young. I’ve never had the chance to experience the Golden Age of Singapore’s cinema in the 1950s and 60s, but Ming Wong: Life of Imitation at the Singapore Art Museum gave me a peek into the cinematic scene back then.

Cathay cinema tickets

Majestic theatre tickets from the 1950s and 60s.

These are so old-school! Notice how cinema tickets also revamped their look over time, along with the old buildings?

Movie poster starring well-known comedians Wang Sha and Ye Feng.

Billboard painting of the film ‘Four Malay Stories’.

Singapore’s last cinema billboard painter shares about the losing art of billboard painting.

Any movie-goer will love the concept of viewing various art works housed in these ‘cinemas’.

Among the three ‘cinemas’, I particularly enjoyed watching the film Four Malay Stories in Cinema One. This film is a re-interpretation of four of P. Ramlee’s most famous films. Artist Ming Wong alone plays 16 stock characters and he adds life to the roles by injecting an exaggerated yet seemly realistic edge into each of them.

See what I mean? Ming Wong’s hilarious expression cracks me up!

I also want to highlight this interesting effort made by Ming Wong for the film In Love for the Mood, where he conceived it as ‘a rehearsal of a rehearsal’. And what do I mean by that? A Caucasian actress speaks her lines in Cantonese by repeating after Ming Wong’s off-camera cues. This progressive attempt at mastering the language is captured across three separate screens, as shown below.

Ming Wong plays with mirror effect in this film, where it appears as if one is watching two shows on the same screen. The film on the left is actually a reflection in the mirror from another screen! Cool, isn’t it!

Tadah! A clearer view of the mirror!

Overall, I liked how this award-winning exhibition is thoughtfully presented. Not only does it celebrate the Golden Age of Singapore cinema, it also portrays an era of rapid change and struggle in a more blithesome manner. Most importantly for a movie-goer like me, I actually felt that I’ve caught three shows in a day! On a final note, Ming Wong’s exhibition will be on display till 22 August, so remember to check it out at the Singapore Art Museum today!

Rating: 0