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Highlights this week include the launch party for the Asian American International Film Festival, a concert by experimental musician C. Spencer Yeh, an event with pioneering jewelry designer Kai-Yin Lo, and the opening of “Behind the Mask, a Play”.
Also, it’s the duanwu festival (aka, Dragon Boat Festival) this weekend. Dragon boat races won’t be held in New York until later this summer, but go out and eat some zongzi. We’ll see if we can find information about where to find good ones around the city.
Coming up:
Dance duo inTW presents four works at the Martha Graham Studio Theater. June 27 and 28.
Asian Cultural Center presents two performances of classic Peking opera Women Generals of the Yang Family 《杨门女将》 and an afternoon of arias and highlights from famous operas on. June 26 – 28.
ChinaFile presents a talk with photographer Tim Franco about his new book Metamorpolis: The Rise of a Chinese Mega City which documents Chongqing from many angles. July 1.
The Lincoln Center Festival presents The Peony Pavilion 《牡丹亭》(July 8 – 10) and Red Detachment of Women 《红色娘子军》 (July 11 – 12)
We add listings to our one-time and short term event and ongoing exhibition calendars as we learn of them. If you know of anything or would like to contribute photos or an article, shoot us an email at beyondchinatown@gmail.com.
We’re reviving our mailing list. Once a week, we’ll send a newsletter with the weekly events and exhibitions post and other things we’ve posted in the past week. Send us and email to keep up on all our posts.
Update:
1) Not Made in the USA: What You Need to Know About China’s Social Platforms – Jason Ng, author of the book and blog Blocked on Weibo, and Jeremy Goldkorn, founder and editor of media research site Danwei, will speak at CUNY’s School of Journalism’s Social Media Weekend 2015 in a session entitled “Not Made in the USA: What You Need to Know About China’s Social Platforms”. The event is sold out, but can be streamed online.
Saturday, June 20, 3:40 PM
Online stream
Free
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2) Sunday at the Met with David Henry Hwang and Vivienne Tam – Playwright David Henry Hwang and designer Vivienne Tam discuss ideas in the Met’s current exhibition China: Through the Looking Glass.
Sunday, June 21, 3 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Free with museum admission
Upcoming Events
1) One-Year Certificate Programs 2015 Full-Time Student Exhibition Opening Reception – Tipping Point features work by the graduating 2015 students of ICP’s One-Year Certificate Programs: Documentary Photography & Photojournalism and General Studies in Photography. It is curated by Program Chairs Alison Morley and Marina Berio. Includes Chinese artists Amy Xian Luo, Jiaxi Yang, and Marc Qimeng Zhao. The exhibition runs from June 19 – August 9.
Friday, June 19, 6 PM
ICP School, 1114 Avenue of the Americas
Free
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2) SVA MFA Thesis Screening – A screening of works by SVA MFA Video & Photography students, including Minyu Vincent Lin’s Save my Soul.
Friday, June 19, 6:30 PM
SVA Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street
Free
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3) Asian American International Film Festival Launch Party – Celebrate the launch of the 38th Annual Asian American International Film Festival. Meet fellow film buffs and supporters of Asian American filmmakers and enjoy drink specials. This year’s lineup will be revealed and attendees will have a chance to win free tickets to the festival.
Tuesday, June 23, 6 PM
Fat Buddha, 212 Avenue A
Free
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4) C. Spencer Yeh – Solo Voice I – X – Artist, composer and improvisor C. Spencer Yeh opens his 2015 ISSUE Project Room residency with a solo performance at Artists Space Books & Talks. Presented in collaboration with Primary Information, the event celebrates the recent release of Solo Voice I – X (April 2015), Yeh’s first LP devoted entirely to the voice. Strategies from the recorded document will be used as guidelines and a starting point for a new solo improvisation.
Tuesday, June 23, 8 PM
Artists Space Books and Talks, 55 Walker St.
Free ($10 suggested donation)
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5) Kai-Yin Lo Jewelry Event – Internationally renowned designer Kai-Yin Lo presents her spring/summer 2015 jewelry collection. Lo is a pioneer in the jewelry world bridging the gap between precious and fashion jewelry, creating a unique style that melds the cultural heritages of East and West by reinterpreting iconic forms from antiquity into original, contemporary jewelry designs.
“Making History Wearable” notes that Lo is also a noted authority on several fields of Chinese art and culture. She has published five books in English and Chinese, covering topics ranging from Chinese white ceramics, furniture and architecture to vernacular living environments, and design culture itself.
Wednesday, June 24, 12 – 4 PM
Thursday, June 25, 12 – 4 PM
Free
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6) Viewpoints: Classical Connections, with Wendy Whelan, Parul Shah and Qian Yi – Classical Connections takes a global perspective in comparing classical performance traditions, featuring three of the finest interpreters of these forms: Wendy Whelan, former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet; Parul Shah, celebrated performer of India’s kathak dance; and Qian Yi, Chinese kunqu opera star. Each of these dancers has dedicated their lives to the study and performance of their form, and now are pushing the boundaries to explore new territory inspired by tradition. How will the future of these classical connections be influenced by these new directions? The program will consist of short dance demonstrations and screenings of footage from Slow Dancing by photographer/videographer David Michaelek, followed by a panel discussion with these three extraordinary artists.
Visit the event page for more about the artists.
Qian Yi in The Peony Pavilion 《牡丹亭》
Parul Shah:
Wendy Whelan:
Wednesday, June 24, 6:30 PM. The event will also be livestreamed here.
Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue
$15/members; $17/students and seniors; $20/non-members.
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7) Peony Blossoms: Taiwanese Opera Maestro Liao Chiung-Chih – Gold Remi Winner at the 42nd Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, this film documents the life of legendary Taiwanese opera performer, Liao Chiung-Chih (廖瓊枝). She began her operatic career at age 10. After more than 60 years of performing, she is a central figure of traditional Taiwanese opera.
The saying “drama is but a reflection of real life” is well-suited to describe the unparalleled life of actress Liao Chiung-chih. In the realm of Taiwanese opera, Liao quickly grew to master the role of kudan (苦旦) a sorrowful female character whose laments reflect those of real women. The perfection Liao achieved under the spotlight is said to have originated from her own background, for her tears and melancholy were genuine, not acts.
Liao’s name has now become synonymous with Taiwanese opera. As the recipient of the 27th Executive Yuan National Cultural Award, Liao has devoted her entire life to preserving the legacy of her traditional craft; from establishing an opera foundation in 1999 to teaching the art form overseas, she remains a key witness to the history and development of Taiwanese opera.
Thursday, June 25, 6:30 PM
Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in New York, 1 East 42nd Street
Free, but RSVP required
Ongoing Films and Shows
1) The Ark of Mr. Chow 《少年班》 – A group of bright teenagers are recruited for a special college program for young geniuses only to find themselves socially awkward among their more normal peers. The Ark of Mr. Chow is a satirical take on the Chinese education system and how it emphasizes academic excellence over a student’s overall personal development, especially outside of the academic curriculum. The director, Xiao Yang, was part of the class and draws on his personal experiences with the system to paint a lighthearted but accurate portrayal of what its like to grow up too intelligent for your own good. (AMC)
Review by The Georgia Straight.
Opens June 19 at AMC Empire 25. See listings for showtimes.
“Behind the Mask, a Play” – An ancient myth about blood and honor reveals the secret life of a Chinese theater troupe in the dark comedy “Behind the Mask — a Play” by Chinese authors Feng BaiMing and Huang WeiRuo, which is being newly adapted by Yangtze Repertory Theatre in a production helmed by Chinese-born director Chongren Fan. The play will be performed in Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles and will be completely accessible for English-speaking audiences.
A play-within-a-play takes place in a theater space somewhere in China, where a nine-person troupe is rehearsing for a story about a Chinese mythical hero, Mei Jian Chi. As the myth is popularly known within Chinese culture, it depicts a tyrant, the King of Chu, who orders the death of his two master swordsmiths as part of a ritualized process to forge the world’s sharpest blades, using human blood. Their son, Mei, seeking revenge, devises a death ploy with an errant by offering his own living but decapitated head to the King. Fragments of the mythical story switch in and out from snippets of mundane and personal follies of the struggling troupe during rehearsal. Through the play, we get to learn about the troupe and the pressures of the artistic life in contemporary China.
June 25 – July 12
Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave.
$25/general admission; $20/seniors and students
On Wednesdays & Thursdays, pay what you can (available day of performance at box office only, advance sales regular price)
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2) New York Asian Film Festival – North America’s biggest Asian film festival with 54 films, including 2 World Premieres, 3 International Premieres, 14 North American Premieres, 5 U.S. Premieres, and 12 New York City debuts. The festival will be attended by 18 international filmmakers and celebrity guests traveling from Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the U.S., headlined by this year’s NYAFF award recipients: Hong Kong’s legendary director Ringo Lam (Lifetime Achievement Award), Hong Kong superstar Aaron Kwok (Star Asia Award), and Japanese actor Shota Sometani (Screen International Rising Star Award).
NYAFF 2015 will feature five focus programs: Hong Kong Panorama; Myung Films: Pioneers and Women Behind the Camera in Korean Film; New Cinema from Japan; Taiwan Cinema Now!; andThe Last Men in Japanese Film, a joint tribute to actors Ken Takakura and Bunta Sugawara, both of whom passed away last November.
June 26 – July 8
Walter Reader Theater at Film Society of Lincoln Center, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza (65th St.)
July 9 – July 11
SVA Theater, 333 W 23rd St.
Exhibitions
Just added and opening:
One-Year Certificate Programs 2015 Full-Time Student Exhibition (ICP School, 6/19 – 8/9) – includes Chinese artists Amy Xian Luo, Jiaxi Yang, and Marc Qimeng Zhao
Closing soon:
Open Door Discourse (NARS Foundation, 5/21 – 6/18)
Guang Zhu: Aquarium of Equations #2 (HERE, 4/30 – 6/20)
Cecile Chong: Time Collision (Project Room at BRIC House, 5/21 – 6/21)
Sung-Chih Chen: Time After Time (Gallery 456, 6/4 – 6/26)
Ciu Xiuwen (崔岫闻): Awaking of the Flesh (崔岫聞:肉身的覺醒) (Klein Sun Gallery, 5/7 – 6/27)
Wu Yuren: On Parole (吳玉仁:假釋) (Klein Sun Gallery, 5/7 – 6/27)
Su-Mei Tse: one thousand and one dreams behind us (Peter Blum Gallery, 4/24 – 6/27)
Building Stories (ATP Gallery, 5/8 – 6/27)
School of Visual Arts 2015 Photo/Video Thesis Exhibition (SVA Chelsea Gallery, 6/13 – 6/27) – includes works by Hua Bai, Liyue Zhu, and Zhangbolong Liu
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Visit the exhibition calendar (http://ow.ly/pxe9o) for details for the following shows below. As always, check the museum or gallery’s website for hours of operation.
Open Door Discourse (NARS Foundation, 5/21 – 6/18)
Guang Zhu: Aquarium of Equations #2 (HERE, 4/30 – 6/20)
Cecile Chong: Time Collision (Project Room at BRIC House, 5/21 – 6/21)
Sung-Chih Chen: Time After Time (Gallery 456, 6/4 – 6/26)
Ciu Xiuwen (崔岫闻): Awaking of the Flesh (崔岫聞:肉身的覺醒) (Klein Sun Gallery, 5/7 – 6/27)
Wu Yuren: On Parole (吳玉仁:假釋) (Klein Sun Gallery, 5/7 – 6/27)
School of Visual Arts 2015 Photo/Video Thesis Exhibition (SVA Chelsea Gallery, 6/13 – 6/27) – includes works by Hua Bai, Liyue Zhu, and Zhangbolong Liu
Su-Mei Tse: one thousand and one dreams behind us (Peter Blum Gallery, 4/24 – 6/27)
Building Stories (ATP Gallery, 5/8 – 6/27)
Zhe Zhu and Zhangbolong Liu: Vanitas/Traces 朱喆与刘张铂泷：维尼塔斯/痕迹 (Fou Gallery at Carma, 4/24 – 6/28)
Sophie Wen-shuo Yen (嚴玟鑠): Cutting the Fragrance (Hwang Gallery, 6/9 – 6/28)
Happy Together (Tina Kim Gallery, 5/15 – 7/3)
Huang Rui: Language Color (Zürcher Gallery, 5/26 – 7/4)
Tseng Kwong Chi: Performing for the Camera (Grey Art Gallery, 4/21 – 7/11)
New Ways of Seeing: Beyond Culture (Dorsky Gallery, 5/10 – 7/12)
De/Constructing China: Selections from the Asia Society Museum Collection (Asia Society, 6/9 – 7/19)
Facing East: Chinese Urbanism in Africa (Storefront for Architecture, 6/17 – 8/1)
One-Year Certificate Programs 2015 Full-Time Student Exhibition (ICP School, 6/19 – 8/9) – includes Chinese artists Amy Xian Luo, Jiaxi Yang, and Marc Qimeng Zhao
China: Through the Looking Glass (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 5/7- 8/16)
The Great Ephemeral (New Museum, 5/27 – 9/6)
Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong (Museum of Chinese in America, 3/26 – 9/13)
Lead image photo by Y. Gao, from oinonio’s Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons