In The Mysterious Lai Teck, acclaimed Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen leads you into the labyrinthine underworld of spies, in this portrait of one of Southeast Asia’s most shadowy historical figures.

Who is Lai Teck? History, if it remembers him at all, describes him as the leader of the Malayan Communist Party from 1939 to 1947, and a triple agent for the French, British and Japanese secret police. Of his life, however, little is known. Rumoured to having over 30 pseudonyms, his story is full of gaps and contradictions culled from the accounts of fellow spies and traitors, and various authors of histories.

Blending fact and fictional speculation, Singapore-born visual artist Ho recreates the charged atmosphere of Lai Teck's times in an inventive staging, where the observer is confronted with a ghostly being, veiled, draped and drowning in projections, oscillating between life and death.

Offering a window into an embattled period of Southeast Asian history, The Mysterious Lai Teck is an extended reflection emerging from Ho’s long-term project, The Critical Dictionary of Southeast Asia.

Steeped in espionage, agency and treachery, The Mysterious Lai Teck is a thrilling snapshot of the shifting face of Southeast Asia in the Age of Treason, and of a man caught between the ruthless forces of history.

新加坡著名艺术家何子彦在《神秘莱特》中，将透过东南亚最神秘隐晦的历史人物之一，带你走进错综复杂的间谍地下组织。

谁是莱特？一个历史上没人知道他真名的间谍，传闻中有30多个化名的叛徒，他是1939至1947年间的马共领袖，也同时是法国、英国、日本的三重特工。虽然有曾经跟他共事过的特工，和后来的历史学者提供关于他的资料，但莱特的故事始终无法完整拼凑，也矛盾重重。

新加坡视觉艺术家何子彦将通过创新的舞台设置和投影效果，重塑莱特那个时代时局紧张的氛围。在虚拟投影相互交叠下，一个幽灵般的身影隐约出现，在生与死之间摇摆不定。

《神秘莱特》是艺术家长期进行的项目《东南亚关键词典》中的L（即莱特）词条。它将引领观众去了解当年东南亚人民在政局动荡中的困境。

《神秘莱特》说的是间谍活动、特工组织与变节的故事，是当年东南亚局势动乱，以及主人翁在历史洪流中奋力求存的惊心动魄之写照。

Please join us for a dialogue with the Artists after the 18 May, Sat 8pm performance