A New Drag Ritual
On lipsync, meditation, and ritual performance in an exhibition space
Trans-Guanyin, an exhibition curated by Trans-Guanyin Collective, a group of students from the international SAC department at Taipei University of the Arts, opened today. Bard is contributing two works - one live performance with Taipei’s finest Popcorn, and a lecture performance scheduled for June. Together, we devised a drag ritual for Guanyin 觀音 in respect, to share our compassion in a time of need. To Bette Midler’s “From A Distance” our peace ode was to togetherness. Drag has been that for me. It is a healing energy to be shared, just like our revered deity.
From our curatorial statement,
“…this exhibition approaches the upaya of Bodhisattva Guanyin, revered for their boundless compassion and mercy, as a methodology for queered, inclusive, and compassionate curatorship..
..from their origins as the male Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara to their current manifestation as a female form, and their coexisting iterations as other benevolent deities, Guanyin can be understood as a transformative and translative being who sees and hears the cries of the world. Guanyin is, more precisely, trans-, a figure that resists binaries in both their spiritual nature and iconography.”
Taking inspiration from Guanyin’s transformative nature, hearing “the cries of the world” the install-action artworks within our two rooms on site respond to this theme. But as a trans person, immigrant, and “collectible” (thank you Tara) this exhibition is also extremely personal, and the opening performance with Popcorn gestured to that.
Compassion, Bard The Beholder, and Popcorn introduction
Popcorn and I coordinated our outfits in colour according to the exhibition poster. I forgot, though, that drag had a shape. There’s a strangeness to being referred to as a queen. Is Bard queen shaped? Does makeup make a drag entity queeny? The structure of a garment, the hair, all because I don’t wear a beard or moustache, drag king go-tos? I feel like I’m past all that. But the world is slow. When I performed, I felt good again, my scars peeked out of my the sweaty, borrowed costume, and even when my wig fell off and my long hair flew out, it felt like home. I can be transsexual and wear all this glamour and still be a man, or a boy, or a body, or whatever I want that’s not a girl. Because this is how we do it at home - London home. And I bring it here, even if it is not understood. This jigsaw costume is meaningful, the improv electric, and the percolation of my drag to skin something to be celebrated. Transsexual playing gender norms, ritual, societal standard, relationships. In East London, this messy could be camp. I can be anybody, and so can the audience members. In this performance, this setting and this skin, it feels a little different.
Compassion, Bard The Beholder, and Popcorn performing to “From a Distance”
Taiwan and live performance, drag culture and the mixture of cultures and religions are different to back home. And I have to learn it while I am here. We performed at Treasure Hill Artist’s village, once solely inhabited by Han settlers on Taiwanese soil, now joined by resident artists and students like us who set up shop there for a few months at a time. Bard, as a character, is an immigrant. Johan, as a person, is an immigrant. Guanyin is also an immigrant to this space - they have transformed through geography and culture. To revere them is to share their story, to thank them. We did that through our drag ritual, using incense and calls for compassion, twirling in the space and offering our respects to the altars on and off site grounds. We wanted to take several moments to slow ourselves down communally, and give communally. But when moments after we leave the temple I am hounded by all sorts of representatives - DID YOU ASK TO BRING GUESTS TO THE TEMPLE? DID YOU PRAY AT ALL THE ALTARS? ARE YOU SURE YOU- I was confronted about the relationship of artist - institution, student - institution, person - place. As an immigrant, I will always need permission. As an artist, I must know the lines.
Compassion, Bard The Beholder, and Popcorn awaiting audience to lead them to Guanyin Temple
These are privileged problems. I don’t get the institutional stuff. I am not currently banking on my drag to pay the bills. I don’t feel like I need to play to my identities to get anywhere, because I don’t know if I can get anywhere in this body on this land. More than this body, my attitude is culturally different and I recognise that. I have so much learning to do in this place, professionally and personally, and being an artist has highlighted this.
Bard The Beholder and Compassion
It is not the first time I have been poked at for my drag and its meaning making, as well as the intentions within the beast below. It helps me grow as an artist - understanding audience concerns and thoughts and learning from my environment. Drag is a vessel for learning, sharing, being accountable and new. I hope I can continue to do that.
Come to our exhibition if you live in Taipei!
Love and light,
Bard xoxo