Ming Wong (Berlin)

Ming Wong has a preference for taking film classics and making them his own by playing all the parts himself – be it in his Thomas Mann/Visconti homage “Life and Death in Venice”, the Fassbinder adaptation “Lerne Deutsch mit Petra von Kant” or his proverbial take on Douglas Sirk, “Life of Imitation”.

In his latest work, the object of his cultural theft is the Turkish singer Bülent Ersoy. Once a famous male actor in melodramatic movies, he caused shock and outrage by becoming a transgender queen – and is now considered the grande dame of Turkish song. Ming Wong and his mother, May, have re-enacted Ersoy’s life in four Karaoke videos. The installation can be enjoyed in a lounge bar for the duration of the festival.

For the grand finale June, 18, Ming and May Wong invite you to a gala show in which the young Bülent and the older Diva meet live on stage. Ming Wong steals the heels of the Turkish singing diva: Bülent Ersoy. Joined by his mother May Wong and a live band, “Bülent Wongsoy” belts out stories of a life from man to woman, vamp to tramp, from sensation to indignation.