Alison Kuo Stages Cantonese Opera Homage at New Museum, October 22–24
Inspired by a costume beard belonging to her late grandmother, a Cantonese opera singer, Alison Kuo has immersed herself in the 400-year-old tradition. This exploration leads to her performance titled "A flame latches to a bit of straw 薪火相傳," taking place at the New Museum in New York from October 22 to 24. Kuo portrays a general, drawing on her grandmother's legacy, alongside family and neighbors, including cousin Anna Kuo and neighbor Mark Bolling. The story unfolds as the cousins look through their grandmother's photographs. Kuo designed the sets and costumes in collaboration with Annika Cheng and local artists. Since June, she has been in residence at the New Museum and co-founded Sisters in Self-Defense in 2021, promoting engagement in this art form.
Key facts
- A flame latches to a bit of straw 薪火相傳 runs 22–24 October at the New Museum, New York
- Alison Kuo based the performance on a costume beard inherited from her grandmother, a Cantonese opera singer in Hong Kong who played military generals
- The title draws on a Chinese idiom meaning something like "passing the torch"
- Performers include Anna Kuo, Mark Bolling, Mei Brunette, Annika Cheng, MeeMee Chin, Wai Wah Law and Ying Ying Zhu
- Kuo created the sets and several costumes, borrowed others from local performers and used some of her grandmother's dresses
- Kuo co-founded Sisters in Self-Defense in 2021 with writer Ava Chin
- Kuo has held a New Museum residency since June in a 730-sq.-ft sixth-floor studio
- The W.O.W. Project, an arts and anti-gentrification organisation, was founded in 2016 in Manhattan's Chinatown
Entities
Artists
- Alison Kuo
- Anna Kuo
- Mark Bolling
- Mei Brunette
- Annika Cheng
- MeeMee Chin
- Wai Wah Law
- Ying Ying Zhu
- Ava Chin
Institutions
- New Museum
- International Studio & Curatorial Program
- Sisters in Self-Defense
- W.O.W. Project
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Brooklyn
- Manhattan
- Chinatown
- Queens
- Hong Kong
- China