CHUN HUA CATHERINE DONG | UNMASK OPERA | PERFORMANCE PHOTOGRAPH | DIGITAL PRINT | 32 X 44 INCHES | 2024
“Unmask Opera” is a series of performance photograph that investigates identity, gender, and cultural representaton through performing self-portraiture. Drawing inspiration from Beijing opera, I use my body as both material and visual territory to reimagine the cultural traditions and reinterpret them from a no-binary perspective. My approach to this work is to use the body as a site for social political transgression and resistance to negotiate with cultural conventions and gender norms.
Beijing opera, which is commonly seen as a male-dominated performance, has a long history of male performers playing female roles on stage. Women were not only not allowed to perform in public in the early days, but they were also thought to be incapable of performing certain physical strength-demanding parts of opera. In this work, I use my body as my medium, combining it with symbolic gestures, costumes, props, as well as the old and new, traditional and unconventional, masculine and feminine presentation, transforming this traditionally male dominated artform into an inclusive space that supports diverse beings and gender equality.
The title of the work, “Unmask opera,” suggests a process of revealing and exposure. In the context of opera, where gender roles are rigidly defined, “unmasking” refers to the removal of these restrictive norms, shedding light on the sexism and gender inequality present in culture practices. The “Unmasking” is also a metaphor for cultural critique, a gesture aimed at deconstructing patriarchal power and hierarchies. On a personal level, the journey of “unmasking” is a transformative voyage of self-discovery and empowerment, from singular to plural, from static to fluid, this personal transformation is unveiled through the transformative power of performance, in which the body is both a subject and an object for the authentic expression of one’s true self.
