Exhibition shows Peking Opera THROUGH THE LENS of contemporary arts
The curator hopes to bring jingju closer to young audiences
An exhibition, at downtown Beijing’s Star Theater, presents Peking Opera through contemporary arts. Bringing together about 40 works from 9 Chinese artists focusing on the old art form, the exhibition, which kicked off on Nov 14 and runs until Dec 24, is part of the ongoing Xiqu Opera Black Box Festival.
According toGuanQi, curator of the exhibition, since 2017, the exhibition aim sat bringing ancient Chinese operas closer to audiences, especially young people interested in contemporary arts.
Xiqu means local opera. T his year, the festival focuses on Peking Opera, since this year marks the 230 th anniversary of the birth of the art form.
Peking Opera, or jing ju, has a history of more than 200 years and was recognized as an ntangiI ble Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 20 10. It brings together art forms such as singing, dancing, martial arts and acrobatics. The performances are characterized by elaborate movements, extravagant makeup and highpitched singing.
In 1 790, four famous Anhui
Opera troupes came to Beijing to celebrate the 80 th birthday of Emperor Q ian long of theQing Dynasty (16441911). In around 1840, Peking Opera began to formally take shape, growing rapidly during the reign of Empress Dowager Cixi (18351908), an ardent Chinese opera lover. After this, the art form went from strength to strength, with troupes being formed in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.
“We started to prepare for this exhibition a year ago. At least 80 percent of the artists, whose art pieces are being displayed during the exhibition, have worked with us before. They used different art forms to tell stories about Peking Opera, such as oil paintings, traditional Chinese ink paintings and installations ,” saysGu an, whoi san independent curator.
“Many young artists have less knowledge about Peking Opera. We invited them to watch Peking Opera shows, let them observe and talk to Peking Opera per formers backstage. It ’s a research process for them, which is very rewarding,” says Guan.
One oft heart pieces on display is an installation by artist Huang Sida, which combines oil paintings portraying the scenes of the four Anhui Opera troupes coming to Beijing and a Chinese drum, which is usually used in the band accompanying Peking Opera performances. What intrigues the audiences is sparkling salt crystals spread under the drum. According to Guan, it indicates the fact that salt business men played an important role of financially supporting the Anhui Opera troupes to Beijing then.
Artist Li Y uerou, who has her work displayed in the exhibition series for the first time, also por trays the scene of the four Anhui Opera troupes coming to Beijing with a 10meterlong scroll digital painting.
A highlight of the exhibition is a traditional Chinese ink painting by 82 year old artist Li Wenpei. The painting port rays the legendary Tang Dynasty (618907) concubine Yang Yuhuan in the classic Peking Opera piece, The Drunken Concubine. Peking Opera master Me iL anfang (18941961) was known for playing the role and hailed as the “Four Great Dan” in the history of the art.
Me iBaojiu (19342016), the son of Me iL anfang, who also played the role, wrote an inscription in calligraphy on the painting , praising the painter ’s techniques. Li, used to work as a stage designer at China National Peking Opera Company for four decades.
There are 18 stage photos of P eking Opera masters, including Me iL an fang, TanFuying
Peking Opera, or jingju, has a history of more than 200 years and was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010.
(19061977) and Li Shaochun (19191975), from a photo studio in Tianjin during the1940s, displayed in the exhibition. According toGu an, since Star Theater has been dedicated to presenting Chinese traditional operas, the theater has collected a number of old photos of Chinese opera artists.
Teachers from National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts have made two animations based on classic P eking Opera stories: Shi Qian Dao Bao, which is about thief Shi Qian, a fictional character from the 14 thcentury Chinese classic novel Water Margin by Shi Nai’an, and San Cha K ou, which presents a fight between two men in the darkness.
“We try to capture the essence of Peking Opera with the latest animation technology, which is a way to attract young fans,” says Ma Chi, who is a teacher of New Media Arts department of National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts. Last year, along with his students, Ma displayed an animation work based on classic K unqu Opera piece,