Computers in Wigs: Malte Oing Blurs the Line Between Human and Machine

Our days begin with machines and end with them. Smartphones, laptops, desktops—life without these devices has become almost unimaginable. Berlin-based artist Malte Oing turns his attention to this everyday reality, transforming obsolete desktop computers into uncanny characters. He places wigs on them, arranges them in family portrait poses, and even assigns them habits associated with human stress and labor.

Oing's work is not simply about machines becoming more human. Instead, it reveals how naturally we project personality, emotion, and social roles onto the objects that surround us. The computer is no longer just a tool—it becomes a character we live with, relate to, and sometimes even resemble. Through subtle interventions and a sharp sense of humor, Oing captures this intimate dynamic between humans and technology.

As technology advances, machines increasingly mimic human behavior. Yet Oing's photographs suggest the inverse may also be true: we anthropomorphize our devices, coexist with them daily, and perhaps even begin to behave like them. His wigged computers are both strange and strangely familiar, offering a wry reflection on contemporary life in the digital age.