Collection Online
Search the Collection 搜索M+藏品
Ho Tzu Nyen 何子彥
The Nameless 無名
2015
The Nameless, a 2015 dual-channel video installation by Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen, pairs a historical narrative about an enigmatic political figure with scenes sampled from popular films. Separate voiceovers—in Chinese and in Vietnamese, with English subtitles—tell the story of Lai Teck, the Secretary General of the Malayan Communist Party from 1939 to 1947. Lai Teck was a triple agent known by more than fifty names; the details of his death remain unclear. To accompany this account, Ho selects scenes from films that all feature the same actor, the Hong Kong star Tony Leung Chiu-wai. Made between 1989 and 2013, the films portray Leung at different ages and in multiple settings, both calm and violent. The narrative moves forward in segments, the action in the changing scenes mirroring the themes of Lai Teck’s life.
Through telling Lai Teck’s story, Ho explores how history and identity have been shaped within Southeast Asia. Leung’s variable, often intense performances call attention to Lai Teck’s infamous malleability, his ability to exist, as the voiceover notes, ‘like water in water’. At the same time, the video’s title suggests that Lai Teck could be anyone forced to adapt to survive in a dangerous, unpredictable political context.
Loading