Performance: “Dao Ma Dan in Lesbos”
Celebrate Pride Month with a dynamic, queer reimagining of a traditional Chinese opera role, followed by LGBTQ-themed karaoke.
In this performance, queer activist-artist Xiangqi Chen explores the currents of gender fluidity in traditional Chinese opera via Dao Ma Dan, a sword-wielding martial art heroine character often depicted by either male or female performers. As Dao Ma Dan traverses time, borders, and gender conventions, she mirrors the vibrant and flourishing lives led by diasporic LGBTQ individuals.
A video artwork of the same title appears in “Out Museum: A Chinese Queer Museum Prototype,” presented by the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco as part of their 41 Ross Artist in Residence initiative, on view through June 29. Asian Art Museum is proud to present a continuous iteration of this artwork, as a three-way interactive performance with live audience and RAD’s immersive projection.
This performance is advised by Kim Anno.
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Xiangqi Chen stands among the first generation of LGBTQ+ activists in China, having dedicated over two decades to the advancement of the movement. In 2023, Xiangqi arrived in America as a visiting scholar at Georgetown University. She remains a prominent advocate and practitioner within China’s LGBTQ+ community. In 2024, Xiangqi presented “Out Museum,” the first Chinese queer museum prototype, at the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco. This conceptual museum serves as a radical and creative resistance against gender inequality.
Zijing Han is a mixed media artist and writer born and raised in Suzhou, China. Utilizing photography, printed material, and performance, her work focuses on language and the integration of images and their content. to investigate the relationship between individuals, nature, and society.
Yao Xiao was born and raised in Sichuan, China. A software engineer by day and a dancer by night, he is currently learning pole dancing, contemporary dancing, and traditional Chinese dancing involving water sleeves and silk folding fans. He is also a member of International Performing Arts of America (IPAA), a professional dance group and nonprofit charity that performs annually.
RAD: Asian Art Museum Research and Development is organized by the Asian Art Museum. Sustained support generously provided by the Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Endowment Fund for Exhibitions and the Kao/Williams Contemporary Art Exhibitions Fund.
