Delighted to share Ho Tzu Nyen’s new commission Night Charades (2025) for the M+ Facade. Co-commissioned by M+ and Art Basel, and presented by UBS, this AI-generated animation pays tribute to the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, featuring iconic scenes in a futuristic and theatrical style. The work will be shown on the M+ Facade every night from Saturday, 22 March to Sunday, 29 June 2025.

Night Charades features animated characters performing a series of mimes inspired by iconic scenes from Hong Kong cinema. The charade players re-enact roles originally performed by legendary stars like Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Stephen Chow, Chow Yun-fat, Brigitte Lin, and Anita Mui. The scenes remix the chivalric choreography of John Woo films, the hyper-aestheticized romanticism of Wong Kar-wai, the boundless imagination of Tsui Hark, and the fearless farce of Wong Jing, among other distinctive styles. The human and non-human characters are shown in striking, theatrical lighting reminiscent of Baroque paintings and glossy advertising.

Night Charades imagines the Hong Kong’s rich cinematic legacy as a futuristic simulation. Dressed in luminous stripes, extravagant pleats, and sculptural folds, the charade players navigate a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere that is both ambiguous and enigmatic. The shots may seem familiar to audiences who have seen the original films, and to uninitiated audiences they offer a captivating spectacle. Constantly reshuffled by an algorithm to create new combinations of characters and scenes, the work is a non-linear reinterpretation of the city’s film legacy, highlighting its porosity, fluidity, and lasting creative vitality.

Ho Tzu Nyen says, ‘In Night Charades, I explore the intricate tapestry of Hong Kong’s cinematic history and shared memories. The AI-generated imagery, inspired by iconic scenes and characters from the golden age of cinema, adds a playful touch that invites audiences to rethink history and to re-imagine the future. I hope this visual experience on the M+ Facade, complemented by the scenery of Victoria Harbour at night, can be a celebration of Hong Kong film history and inspire audiences to see the city’s cinematic past in a new light.’

In conjunction with Night Charades, the film programme Ho Tzu Nyen: Investigating Histories will be featured at the M+ Grand Stair from March to June 2025. The programme features five seminal films spanning the artist’s twenty-year career, offering audiences a comprehensive and in-depth perspective on his speculative approach to history and filmmaking. The screenings include Utama—Every Name in History is I (2003); 4×4—Episodes of Singapore Art, Episode 3: Tang Da Wu—The Most Radical Gesture (2005); Earth [Black to Comm soundtrack] (2011); The Cloud of Unknowing (2011); and The Nameless (2015).