“Spiritual Figures”

First performed on September 4th, 2022 as a background act accompanying The Ciba Punch community performance piece in Manhattan Chinatown, New York City. This is a series of unnamed performances created in collaboration with sound artist Julia Santoli and artists from the CAO Collective. In these rituals, one or more nameless, faceless, and speechless female ancestors from times past return to us in our physical world, reenacted by four contemporary feminist performers. Under the serene lead of Julia Santoli, who is also in costume, these “spiritual figures,” linked together by tassel strings, breathe, chant, and move in unison with the firm sound of bells, surrounding and supporting whichever activities or protests being taken place, connecting femininity across time, space, and cultures with their salient presence. The costumes of “spiritual figures” materialize the spacial interaction between bodies, apparel, and movements, as the designing and making of these looks coincided with the designing and making of the performance itself. This is a currently ongoing project.

In Collaboration with Julia Santoli and 离离草 CAO Collective

(Above) First “Spiritual Figures” performance in Manhattan Chinatown, New York City. September 4th, 2022. Photos by Shih Chieh Wei.

(Above) “Spiritual Figures” performance in Project for Empty Space, Newark, New Jersey. November 19th, 2022. Photos by Laura Li.

(Below) “Spiritual Figures” performance in Caelum Gallery, Chelsea, New York City. March 31st, 2023. Photos by Tianqi Liao.

“Spiritual Figures“

Updated April 2023