Ming Wong

Find out more about Ming Wong, the National Gallery's 2025 Artist in Residence, in this Salon conversation which sheds light on Wong's residency at the Gallery and their final work.

Responding to the depictions of Saint Sebastian in the Gallery’s collection, as well as to the work of seminal British artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman (1942-94), Wong's new short film is titled 'Dance of the sun on the water | Saltatio solis in aqua'. Itsees the artist re-enact scenes from Jarman’s ‘Sebastiane’ (1976) within the setting of the National Gallery.

Performed in Latin alongside a group of actors of Asian descent and various genders – a deliberate act of ‘mis-casting’– the film reimagines Jarman’s work in dialogue with historic artworks from Carlo Crivelli (about 1430/5-about 1494) to Gerrit van Honthorst (1592-1656).

In this discussion, Wong reflects on the creation and experience of developing his latest work.

Ming Wong (b. 1971, Singapore) lives and works in Berlin. His work contends with cinema and popular culture to consider how identity is constructed, reproduced and circulated. Through imperfect translations and reenactments of classic world cinema in which the artist plays all of the characters, Wong’s videos, photographs, installations and performances uncover the slippages that haunt ideas of ‘authenticity’ and ‘originality’.

Recent exhibitions include ‘AUUUUDITORIUM’, Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai (2024); ‘Signals: How Video Transformed The World’, Museum of Modern Art, New York (2023); ‘Pier Paolo Pasolini: Tutto è santo. The political body’, MAXXI, Rome (2022); ‘Wayang Spaceship’, Singapore Art Museum (2022). Ming Wong has participated in the Biennale of Sydney (2024); Aichi Triennale (2022); Seoul Mediacity Biennale (2021); Dakar Biennale (2019); Dhaka Art Summit (2018).

His recent performance piece ‘Rhapsody in Yellow’ has been seen at steirischer herbst, Graz (2022); Berliner Festspiele (2023), SpielArt Festival, Munich (2023), Kunstfestspiele Herrenhausen, Hannover (2024) and the Esplanade Singapore (2024). He represented Singapore at the 53rd Venice Biennale (2009) with his solo exhibition ‘Life of Imitation’, which was awarded a Special Mention. His work ‘Life of Imitation’ was purchased by Tate Modern in 2022.

‘ming wong: Dance of the sun on the water | Saltatio solis in aqua’, (15 January – 5 April 2026, Admission free)

Saint Sebastian is a figure who has inspired artists across generations. A Roman soldier who secretly converted to Christianity, he was persecuted for his faith by being shot with arrows. There are 14 depictions of Saint Sebastian in the National Gallery’s collection, by artists from the Pollaiuolo brothers to Gerrit van Honthurst.

Our 2025 Artist in Residence, Ming Wong, continues this tradition with a new short film and installation based on the story of his martyrdom.

Wong’s film, called ‘Dance of the sun on the water | Saltatio solis in aqua’, draws on paintings of Saint Sebastian and the landmark film ‘Sebastiane’ (1976) by British filmmaker Derek Jarman, setting the story inside the National Gallery itself.

Like Jarman, Wong brings together objects and ideas from different periods of history. The film features a variety of references from the Renaissance to the present day, reimagining the life of this iconic saint.

Witty, experimental and visually exquisite, ‘Dance of the sun on the water | Saltatio solis in aqua’ powerfully asserts how stories of martyrs resonate today.