So Tasty?! Queer and Trans Asian Canadian Performance

Event details:

Friday, March 1, 2024 | 6:00pm – 9:00pm

William Doo Auditorium, 45 Willcocks Street, Toronto ON

6:00pm – 8:00pm: Performance & Artist Roundtable

8:00pm – 9:00pm: Reception with Refreshments

Event description:

How are Asian, particularly queer and/or trans Asian, bodies consumed in Canada? Featuring three queer and trans Asian Canadian artists from Vancouver and Toronto, this event will include live performances and a Q&A panel. Each of their works are an embodied reflection of queer and trans experiences in the Asian diaspora, particularly by using food and associated sensations and metaphors. Janice Jo Lee is a folk artist that will open up the event with a performance and land acknowledgement which will be followed by a showcase of new works by three drag artists. In YOU AND I ≠ WE, an experimental performance co-created by Romi Kim and Kendell Yan, their drag personas SKIM and Maiden China explore the weight of representation, the complexities and intersections of gender, culture, sexuality, and what it means to be in their Asian (Korean and Chinese) bodies with queer and trans identities in public and private spheres. The performance shares insights into intimate experiences through nonlinear storytelling and gestures of refusal in being consumed by the audience’s gaze. In a Drag Horror Cooking Show, “Sarap” (tasty), drag artist Ms. Nookie Galore combines Filipino dishes and ingredients with Philippine history and folklore to create an immersive experience for the audience.

These four artists will perform their works while also creating a space of collective reflection and dialogue on drag, performance, and the body for queer and trans Asian Canadians.