Live performance

“Yingmei Curious Macau” is curated by Sio Man Lam and Noah Ng. Yingmei Duan worked on this project with Chi Chun Tam, Edmundo Remédios Lameiras, Hsing Chun Lin, Meng Kam Chan, Noah Ng, and Sio Man Lam.

Yingmei is a curious observer – an observer of all facets of life, who questions and reflects upon established social norms and human behaviour. Each of Yingmei’s performances is enhanced by her unique way of asking questions. 

By the 90s, performance art was integrated into the Chinese avant-garde scene. In 1995, Yingmei participated in the collaborative performance “To Add One Meter to an Anonymous Mountain”, which is considered one of the most emblematic works in Chinese avant-garde art history. 

Over twenty years have passed since. The definition of art has been deconstructed and traditional notions of the body have broken free and performance art has now lost its aura. However, Yingmei has never ceased to explore the infinite possibilities of performance art. 

She continues to develop her artistic methods, from the earlier works of “Solo Performance” and “Performance Installation”, to “Equal Collaborative Performance” and “Daily Live Art Performance” and in the past decade, and most recently “Object & Video Interactive Performance”. Using ordinary objects, simple actions and language, Yingmei has established her distinctive way to communicate with the world.

Since 2005, Yingmei has favoured the method called “Equal Collaborative Performance”, which is also the methodology she decided to use during her residency at Ox Warehouse. To introduce this method, Yingmei explained that: “I collaborate with others on the basis of impartiality and people I work with are involved on equal terms.”

In the past decade, she has realised about a hundred collaborations with this “Equal Collaborative Performance” methodology. She not only collaborates with artists but also with the general public. Her practice begins with a conversation that evolves into “Equal Collaborative Performance” with collaborators. From this “Equal Collaborative Performance” method she also developed “Object Interactive Performance “ and “Object & Video Interactive Performance ”. 

In these projects Yingmei intends to construct an interactive network between participants, audiences, objects and surroundings in our daily life. She has chosen this particular form of interactive art to engage her audiences and for her deep concern towards individuals in contemporary society who have lost the ability to communicate with each other. 

For Yingmei, Macau would be the perfect place to start a conversation. She is curious about Macau, as it is so small – just right for an intimate conversation. In 2013, Yingmei first visited Macau to participate in the Macau International Performance Art Festival. In her memories, the imagery of Macau conjures up old buildings, turnip cakes on street stalls, small art spaces, and casinos that use art activities to draw more visitors.

During her residency at Ox Warehouse, Yingmei had the opportunity to talk to people from all parts of society: a young creative, a Macanese, a mother who runs a children’s bookstore, a retired Tanka fisherman……

In these collaborations, the role of the artist and the audience is obscured and diffused, just as the playful grammar of the exhibition title opens up the interpretation of the theme. One may wonder: Yingmei is curious about Macau. But how about Macau? Is it also curious about Yingmei?