Performance – Black Plum Blossom
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16.08.2024
Tseng Chih Wei
Black Plum Blossom is a lecture performance created by Taiwanese performing artist Tseng Chih Wei. Focusing on HIV/AIDS, Tseng will perform extracts from his previous works, including an autobiographical solo show, workshops for people living with HIV, and immersive experiences for HIV/AIDS community members. Meanwhile, Tseng will also share how these works are related to the current situation of HIV/AIDS in Taiwan, in order to open up conversations about art making and HIV/AIDS social movements.
The plum blossom is the national flower of Taiwan, it is a symbol for resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity, because plum blossoms often bloom most vibrantly even amidst the harsh winter snow. In Tseng’s works, the image of “Black Plum Blossom” visualizes and embodies the battle with the virus inside the body of a person living with HIV, and the fight with a society full of stigmas. Before scientists find the cure, the body is like a life sentence prison, and a pure soul is trapped in it. However, Tseng believes that through art making, the trapped soul can be transformed into blooming black plum blossoms, and be free.