Chinese immigrants brought wayang street opera to Singapore in the mid-nineteenth century. These shows, though staged as free public entertainments, also had a ritualistic component: Typically performed on temple grounds on elaborately decorated makeshift stages to please the deities, they were often presented on the gods’ birthdays and public holidays. The tradition continues today in many places in the Chinese-speaking world.

Ming Wong has re-created the facade of one of these familiar street theaters. Installed behind the Singapore Art Museum on a port surrounded by shipping containers, Wayang