This week: A restored version of one of Jackie Chan’s best films; a marionette show; a workshop that recycles confetti from the Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade; an afternoon of poetry and art at China Institute; new exhibitions featuring works by Anyssa Ng and Zao Wou-Ki; and more…
Coming up:
3/15 – 3/24 – Asia Week New York, an annual ten-day celebration of Asian art throughout metropolitan New York, with non-stop exhibitions, auctions and special events presented by leading international Asian art specialists, major auction houses, and world-renowned museums and cultural institutions.
3/16 – 3/22 – Screening of Maineland, a documentary about “parachute students” from China enrolling in US private schools.
3/31 – Chinese musician-founded International Chamber Orchestra of America presents New World, New Music, in which an orchestra plays as a performer wearing a VR headset interacts with a virtual environment
Our weekly listing now includes open calls and other opportunities for artists, filmmakers, and others involved with Chinese culture in this intro section.
41st Asian American International Film Festival – Asian Cinevision is accepting entries for the 41st Asian American International Film Festival to be held July 25 – August 4, 2018 in New York. The festival the longest running and, with over 100 features and shorts, largest Asian/Asian American film festival.
Extended Deadline: March 16, 2018
Work-in-Progress Deadline: April 6, 2018
We add talks, films, performances, exhibitions, featuring or relating to Chinese, Taiwanese, diasporic artists and topics to our event and ongoing exhibition calendars as we learn of them.
We post frequently on our Facebook page. So check the page for links we share and get a heads up on events before we include them in these weekly posts. For art, images, and other instances of Chineseness we see, follow us on Instagram.
We’re looking for contributors! If you’re interested in writing an article, contributing photos or artwork to be featured with our weekly events and exhibitions listing, letting us know about an event, send a pitch at beyondchinatown@gmail.com.
UPCOMING EVENTS
1) The World’s Greatest – Judy is a badass from NYC’s Chinatown. She doesn’t give a sh*t about school and only cares about fitting in–until she finds out she didn’t get in any NYC public high school. She gets into Murry Bergtraum High School through a second chance lottery system, and makes a promise to herself that this school is the place where she can start over. But things go south when she realizes the school has lost its formerly glory and she starts hanging out with the “bad” Chinatown kids. By the end of freshmen year, the principal announces that Bergtraum will get shut down by the Board of Education if school conditions do not improve. While this is happening, she also learns that her family life is coming apart. With all this weight on her shoulders, will she fall into her old habits and dropout, or will she find strength to overcome it all?
Written, performed, and produced by Judy Lei.
Directed by MC Jin.
Friday, March 9, 7 PM
Museum of Chinese in America
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2) Police Story 《警察故事》– A bone-cracking landmark in Hong Kong beat-‘em-up action, Police Story stars director Jackie Chan as Ka-kui/Kevin, an inspector assigned to protect a key witness (Brigitte Lin) in a drug case from the agents of her former employer, a task which will require him to dangle from a speeding bus by umbrella, go through (conservative estimate) one billion plate glass windows in the film’s department store finale, and maintain the affections of his fickle girlfriend, May (Maggie Cheung). Chan never looked better as a full-body performer—and his performance looks better than ever in this brand new restoration by L’Immagine Ritrovata Hong Kong.
Friday, March 9, 9:30 PM
Saturday, March 10, 2:15 PM
Sunday, March 11, 5:30 PM
Metrograph, 7 Ludlow Street
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3) RRR Project: Community Confetti Papermaking Workshops – Wing On Wo. & Co.’s Resist Recycle Regenerate fellows lead papermaking workshops that recycle confetti from the 12 garbage bags of confetti collected from the Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade.
Two hour-long sessions at 1 and 2 PM will be held.
Saturday, March 10, 1 – 3 PM
Wing On Wo & Co, 26 Mott St.
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4) Orchid Pavilion Gathering – Join China Institute Gallery for an afternoon of poetry, music and art as it ushers in its newest exhibition Art of the Mountain: Through the Chinese Photographer’s Lens. Orchid Pavilion Gatherings are an annual event at China Institute celebrating and encouraging artistic inspiration in the spirit of celebrated calligraphy sage Wang Xizhi’s (307 – 365) famous gathering with his poet friends on Mount Kuaiji. Chinese poets will be reciting their poems based on the themes from China Institute Gallery’s most recent exhibition.
Willow Weilan Hai, Gallery Director and Chief Curator of Art of the Mountain: Through the Chinese Photographer’s Lens will offer bilingual tours of the exhibition.
Saturday, March 10, 2 – 4 PM
China Institute
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5) The Dragon King by Tanglewood Marionettes – An underwater fantasy based on Chinese folklore, The Dragon King tells the tale of an intrepid grandmother who journeys to the bottom of the sea in search of the elusive Dragon King, and the answers to why he has forsaken the land above. Filled with colorful sea creatures, an exciting adventure, and the gorgeous puppets of Tanglewood Marionettes.
A workshop at 1 PM precedes the performance.
Saturday, March 10, 2:15 PM
Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd, Flushing
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6) Have Sword, Will Travel #4 – Double feature of two martial arts classics:
The Magic Blade 《天涯明月刀》- A near-perfect mixture of swordplay, fantasy, martial arts, heroic bloodshed, and more Ti Lung greatness than any moviegoer could ever ask for, in some of the best choreographed fights in wuxia history. It remains one of the true classics of the Shaw Brothers library.
Chu Yuan,
Hong Kong, 1976, 97 min.
Mandarin with English subtitles
Crippled Avengers 《殘缺》(aka Return of the Five Deadly Venoms) – Crippled Avengers may be the ultimate movie featuring the martial artists known as “The Venom Mob.” Warlord Chen Kuan-Tai goes insane after his enemies kill his wife and cripple his son. He proceeds to maim anyone who crosses his path. Four of his victims unite to seek bloody vengeance.
Dir. Chang Cheh
Hong Kong, 1978, 99 min.
Mandarin with English subtitles
Sunday March 11, 7 PM
Quad Cinema, 34 W. 13th Street
ONGOING FILMS, SHOWS, AND EVENTS
1) Girls vs. Gangsters 《閨密2之單挑越南黑幫》– A bachelorette weekend spins hilariously out of control when three friends wake naked on a beach to find themselves handcuffed to a mysterious briefcase, with local gangsters in pursuit. They must retrace their steps if they hope to make it back home and to the altar.
Opens at AMC Empire 25 March 10
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2) Detective Chinatown 2 《唐人街探案》– A follow up to the Chinese hit “Detective Chinatown,” the new film reunites writer/director Chen Sicheng and stars Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran, who reprise their roles as detectives Tang Ren and Qin Feng, respectively. When the case of New York Chinatown godfather Uncle Qi’s missing son turns into a murder investigation, the detective duo Tang and Qin team up again to hunt down the killer—this time with some help from the International Detective Alliance. The main cast also includes Xiao Yang, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Michael Pitt and Japanese star Tsumabuki Satoshi.
At AMC Empire 25
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2) Agent Mr. Chan <棟篤特工> – After a mission failure resulting in a 20 year banishment, agent Chan (Dayo Wong) is reluctantly hired back to take on the mysterious case of the Cyber Goddess. Forced to go undercover as the complete opposite of his suave and debonair self, he’s on a mission to prove he’s ready to take back his position as the world’s top secret agent.
At AMC Empire 25
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3) Operation Red Sea 《 紅海行動》 – Famed action director Dante Lam returns with this explosive follow-up to his 2016 box office smash Operation Mekong. When a terrorist plot to obtain nuclear materials is hidden under the cover of a violent coup, only the Chinese Navyas elite Jiaolong Assault Team have the deadly skill and precision needed to take on the situation.
At AMC Empire 25
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4) Monster Hunt 2 《捉妖記2》– The story continues with Wuba after he parts way with his human parents Tian (Jing Boran) and Lan (Bai Baihe) for his own journey. Peace has not been restored in the monster world after the death of the evil monster king as a sinister lord has ascended and seized the throne. A heavy bounty is placed on Wuba dead or alive, forcing him to go into hiding again. He encounters an ill-famed gambler Tu (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) who’s deep in debt and seemingly up to no good. Together, they form a reluctant alliance in order to escape from their predicament.
At AMC Empire 25
ART EXHIBITIONS
Group Shows and Local Artists:
Lu Zhang’s artist studio during her residency at NARS foundation becomes a dating hotspot through her project It Takes Ten Years Practice to be on the Same Boat. Inspired by the Chinese proverb “十年修得同船渡” translated as “it takes ten years practice to be on the same boat,” the project builds the concept of yuánfèn in which one’s good deeds in past lives will lead to the “fateful coincidence” of meeting another person in this current life, whether as friends, lovers or acquaintances. The proverb also implies that we be open, patient and appreciative of moments when we encounter each other. Read more about it here.
Hong Kong artist Wong Ping and Chinese artists Song Ta and Shen Xin are part of the New Museum’s triennial group show Songs for Sabotage which “questions how individuals and collectives around the world might effectively address the connection of images and culture to the forces that structure our society. Together, the artists in Songs for Sabotage propose a kind of propaganda, engaging with new and traditional media in order to reveal the built systems that construct our reality, images, and truths. The exhibition amounts to a call for action, an active engagement, and an interference in political and social structures urgently requiring them.”
Think!Chinatown’s Everyday Chinatown invites you to call in to listen in on members of the Chinatown community as they share stories of commonly found household items in Chinatown. Window displays of these objects will be scattered around the neighborhood from the Lunar New Year to March 31. This project of cultural translation, self-representation, and inter-generational exchange is funded by the Citizen’s Committee for NYC.
It’s also art fair season this coming week: Spring/Break Art Show (3/6 – 3/12), Volta NY (3/7 – 3/11), NADA (3/8 – 3/11), Art on Paper (3/8 – 3/11) and the Armory Show (3/8 – 3/11),
Wang Xu is one of the artists at The 2017 Socrates Annual (Oct 1, 2017 – March 11, 2018). The Socrates Annual – formerly known as The Emerging Artist Fellowship Exhibition – is an annual exhibition of new public art that addresses the most urgent issues of today.
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Opening and Newly Listed:
1) Xu Zhen®️: Movement Field (James Cohan Gallery, 3/3 – 4/8) — This exhibition presents new sculptures and wall-works alongside the immersive installation Movement Field. This is the fourth solo exhibition of work by XU ZHEN®️ at James Cohan.
Movement Field is a series of installations initiated in 2013 by XU ZHEN® that act as an ongoing exploration of protest and popular expression. XU ZHEN®️ creates the installations using white pebbles and green grass to create a network of criss-crossing but delineated paths, which diagram the route of several protests throughout the globe. In this exhibition, pathways and sod-covered ramps transform the entire gallery space. The intersecting trails are visually appealing but do not indicate a single way of moving through the space. There is no logical end point. The aesthetic confusion of the trails reflects the frenetic energy – and frequent frustration – of large or small protests. Although the paths are inspired by actual marches, the artist insists that the demonstrations remain unidentified so that no iteration of the project is privileged by its historical antecedent.
Continue reading at the exhibition page.
Xu Zhen – ‘Eternity – Painted Terracotta Statue of Heavenly Guardian, Sleeping Muse’, 2016. Bronze, mineral Composites, mineral pigments, steel. 86 1/2 x 38 1/8 x 19 5/8 in.
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2) Circle with Radius of Zero: Recent Works by Anyssa Ng (China 2000 Fine Art, 3/15 – 4/26)- Annysa Ng addresses the coexistence of separate identities, the inherent ineffability of the void, the cycle of birth and rebirth, the conscious and unconscious mind, and the transient, intangible, and invisible force of death that enlightens the meaning of life. Annysa Ng’s art vibrates to the rhythm of such profound philosophical reflection that it challenges the intellect and engages the viewer. And yet it is the visual beauty, grace and delicacy of her artwork that make these potent musings, restrained by a fierce splendor, even more powerful.
Continue reading at the exhibition page
Opening reception: Thursday, March 15, 5 – 8 PM
Annysa Ng – ‘Oval Portrait’, 2018. Ink, acrylic, fiber paste on linen; test tube, Plexiglas, acrylic mirror, cotton, commercial paint on panel, 36 x 48 x 2.75 in. (91.4 x 122 x 7 cm)
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3) Zao Wou-Ki: Watercolor. Ink on Paper. Porcelain (Marlborough Gallery, 3/15 – 4/14) – Celebrated for his oil paintings, Zao also worked extensively in a variety of mediums, including watercolor, ink, and porcelain. The exhibition focuses on these aspects of his artistic practice, and presents 18 watercolors, 18 ink on paper works, as well a selection of painted vases and vessels in porcelain. The works on exhibit span several decades, and were created between the years 1970 and 2007. Brushstrokes—whether in color or black ink—become abstract image fields in which foreground and background are in constant flux. Each conveys an abstract visual event that is emotionally charged, turbulent in structure and striking in impact. In effect, Zao created his own nonrepresentational artistic language that transcends identifiable associations with symbols in writing and the natural world.
Continue reading the press release at the exhibition page
Opening reception: Thursday, March 15, 6 – 8 PM
Zao Wou-Ki – Untitled, 2006. Watercolor on paper, 22 3/8 x 30 inches
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Closing soon:
The Unscene (Klein Sun Gallery, 2/1 – 3/11)
Red Envelope Show (Grumpy Bert, 2/23 – 3/11)
Li Wei: Impossible is Not an Option (Galerie Richard, 2/7 – 3/11)
The Costume Art of Imperial Peking Opera (Flushing Town Hall, 2/17 – 3/11)
Fernando Villela and Zhe Zhu: Time Flies So First Things First (Fou Gallery, 2/16 – 3/18)
Current shows:
Visit the exhibition calendar for details for the current shows listed below. Check the museum’s or gallery’s website for hours of operation.
The Fuck Off Generation: Chinese Art in the Post-Mao Era, Part 1 (Ethan Cohen Gallery, 1/31 – ??)
The Unscene (Klein Sun Gallery, 2/1 – 3/11)
Red Envelope Show (Grumpy Bert, 2/23 – 3/11)
Li Wei: Impossible is Not an Option (Galerie Richard, 2/7 – 3/11)
The Costume Art of Imperial Peking Opera (Flushing Town Hall, 2/17 – 3/11)
Fernando Villela and Zhe Zhu: Time Flies So First Things First (Fou Gallery, 2/16 – 3/18)
Zhen Guo: A Denied Existence (Gallery 456, 2/23 – 3/23)
FOLD: Golden Venture Paper Sculptures (Museum of Chinese in America, 10/5 /17 – 3/25/18)
In Focus: An Assembly of Gods (Asia Society Museum, 9/26/17 – 3/25/18)
Shifting Momentum: Abstract Art in Taiwan (Taipei Cultural Center at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, 3/8 – 3/30)
Art Across Archives (384 Broadway, 2/17 – 3/31)
Zhang Engli – The Garden (Hauser & Wirth, 1/25 – 4/7)
Liu Shiyuan: Isolated Above, Connected Down (Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, 2/22 – 4/7)
Wang Dongling: Poetry and Painting (Chambers Fine Art, 2/25 – 4/14)
Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong: Constellation (Seward Park, June 2017 – June 2018)
Spirited Creatures: Animal Representations in Chinese Silk and Lacquer (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 10/21/17 – 7/22/18)
Streams and Mountains without End: Landscape Traditions of China (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 8/26/17 – 1/9/19)
Lead image: Graffiti and government poster on a wall in Wuhan.