Ho Tzu Nyen’s 4x4—Episodes of Singapore Art (2005) is an attempt to re-present four works of art by four Singaporean artists, done through three different platforms: a forum discussion; a foldable postcard cube for distribution; and a television series, which was aired on Singapore’s Arts Central channel. This project grew out of the artist’s desire to address two cultural deficits in Singapore: the missing public of visual arts; and the absence of historical memory. The television series straddles video art, mass media intervention, cultural sleuthing, polemics and pedagogy. Set as dialectic arguments between a man and a woman, the programme attempts to popularise techniques of visual analysis and art historical interpretation.
4x4—Episodes of Singapore Art is part of the recent Ho Tzu Nyen: Time & the Tiger exhibition co-organised between Singapore Art Museum and Art Sonje Center.
about the artist
Drawing from historical events, documentary footage, art history, music videos, and mythical stories, Ho Tzu Nyen's (b.1976) films and video installations investigate the construction of history, myths and the plurality of identities. Since 2012, Ho's The Critical Dictionary of Southeast Asia has framed many of his projects and installations. Ho is one of the most internationally recognised contemporary artists from Singapore, having represented the Singapore Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale (2011). His works have been collected internationally by institutions including The Guggenheim, Tate Modern, Gwangju Biennale Foundation, and SAM.
4x4—Episodes of Singapore Art (2005) is an attempt to re-present four works of art by four Singaporean artists, done through three different platforms: a forum discussion; a foldable postcard cube for distribution; and a television series, which was aired on Singapore’s Arts Central channel. This project grew out of the artist’s desire to address two cultural deficits in Singapore: the missing public of visual arts; and the absence of historical memory. The television series straddles video art, mass media intervention, cultural sleuthing, polemics and pedagogy. Set as dialectic arguments between a man and a woman, the programme attempts to popularise techniques of visual analysis and art historical interpretation.
Artwork details
Video, set of four.
Video: Single-channel HD, colour, sound. Episode 1 Cheong Soo Pieng: 23 min 8 sec. Episode 2 Cheo Chai Hiang: 22 min 22 sec. Episode 3 Tang Da Wu: 22 min 43 sec. Episode 4 Lim Tzay Chuen: 22 min 40 sec.
