THE JUNGLE PEOPLE

Eddie Wong, Eddie Wong / Malaysia / 2022 / 15 min

The Jungle People search for truth and family history, blending A.I technology and fiction to revive memories of their grandfather, who disappeared while fighting colonial forces, and remembered only as a ‘jungle person.

Portrait of the Jungle People examines the artist’s search for their grandfather, a ‘jungle person’ (communist guerrilla) who fought in the anti-colonial war in British-Malaya. Combining machine-generated compositions and multi-layered narrative, the artwork brings to life fragmented memories and allegories. It is an ode to the untraceable branches of family trees, presenting a fluid and dreamlike representation of the Malaysian-Chinese narrative, challenging traditional notions of documentary truth in history.