Renowned Vancouver master musician, Toa Wong
and Montreal visual artist, Mary Sui Yee Wong meet
through cyber technology in a live streaming performance
between Vancouver and Montreal.
By invoking a childhood fantasy of becoming a pop star
with an irrational fear of singing, Mary Sui Yee Wong will
work in tandem with her father, Toa Wong, to create a
provocative performance that embraces the complexities
of internalized racism, acculturation, and hybridization.
Highlighting the relationship between father and daughter,
visual artist and musician, community elder and community
activist, the collaborators will play with language, music,
image, movement, memory, technology and family history
to give voice to fears; fear of not belonging, not measuring
up, not connecting and not being remembered.
Master Toa Wong has accompanied prestigious actors in Hong Kong
and has tutored over two hundred artists and actors in Cantonese
opera. In 1961, Wong immigrated to Canada holding the position as
lead erhu player (violinist) with the Jin Wah Sing Chinese Orchestra
in Vancouver. Wong has contributed to the preservation of Cantonese
Opera through his publications and donations to institutions such as:
the Museum of Anthropology in British Columbia and the Museum
of Chinese in America in New York. At the age of 93, Wong continues
to teach and donate his time to community events.
Mary Sui Yee Wong is a multidisciplinary artist who immigrated to
Canada from Hong Kong in 1963. Wong has exhibited extensively
in solo and group exhibitions in Canada and internationally. She
has been involved in numerous curatorial initiatives and is an active
member of the Chinese community. Wong is presently teaching in
Studio Arts at Concordia University.
Having traveled across Canada thirty times by car, thumb, motorcycle,
bus, train, or plane, Janet Lumb delights in the discovery to
go beyond in creation and expression within the boundaries and
challenges of Canada’s geography. Her fascination is e-connecting
artists, communities and people in a real way.
