Arthub Favorite: Week 105

CHINAME

Time: 2018 June 30 20:00-22:00
Venue: Kleefseweg 9, 6595NK Ottersum, The Netherlands

About the performance

CHINAME is a contemporary theater project started by Xiaoke x Zihan in 2018.The two artists began to explore personal identity and national identity in their life experiences. In the current world pattern in which right-leaning nationalism gradually emerges, the artist seeks to reflect on the national community from the individual’s anxiety.

For Chinese identity exploration, it is a long and complicated process. Based on different backgrounds, such as sociology, anthropology, history, contemporary international economics and political science, the definition of Chinese is different. The impact of the phenomenon that China is labeled is everywhere in everyday life. For the young generation from mainland China, what is the perception of Chinese? For the young generation of Chinese outside of mainland China, what is their interpretation of the Chinese identity? The two artists tried to look for the commonality of Chinese in different levels of cognition. They seem to be doing a stubborn thing, which is bound to activate a series of sensitive switches.

Is Chinese a community of imagination or is it real? What is Chinese?

The two artists merged CHINA and NAME to recreate CHINAME. Just as we cannot choose how to come to this world, we cannot choose to be given a name, but we are trying to explain who we are.

This project was researched in different regions, and formed exhibition and live performance of various versions in various localities. At the same time, it displays interviews with documentaries and portraits of people. It tries to open a temporary contact zone for Chinese identity.

This is a confusing topic. If Chinese itself is a synonym for confusion, then their live performance is the expression of confusion and honesty.

Concept: Xiao Ke x Zi Han
Performance: Xiao Ke, Zi Han
Video/Sound: Zi Han
Producer: Lico Fang, Marc Franz
Technical Manager: Vince Dinnissen
Stage Manager: Peter Cuijpers
Media publicity: Martijn Erren
Co-production: TAIFUN Project, Roepaen Podium (CHINAME in Roepaen version)
Cooperation: Theater im Fluss (Kleve)
Funding support by: European Union (EU): Interreg V-A Program – Germany-The Netherlands Ministry of Culture and Science of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia

For more details about the performance, please click here.