Ping Chong Overview

As a first-generation immigrant from China, Ping Chong recognized himself as "the other" in a society where whiteness remains the desired identity. So as a multimedia Performance artist, Chong incorporates disparate art forms and dancers of different ethnicities to explore ideas... [more]

As a first-generation immigrant from China, Ping Chong recognized himself as "the other" in a society where whiteness remains the desired identity. So as a multimedia Performance artist, Chong incorporates disparate art forms and dancers of different ethnicities to explore ideas of identity and inclusion. Although he attended New York University to study film, it seemed inevitable that this child of Peking Opera performers would find his creative voice in live performance. After collaborating with choreographer/composer Meredith Monk in 1971, Chong embarked on a career path that would lead him to the vague and misunderstood profession of the Performance artist. Chong's multimedia Performance art incorporates almost every live performance medium imaginable: dance, music, acrobatics, text, slide projection, film, puppets, masks, and mime. Themes of individual and cultural identity exist quietly in his dreamlike pieces, as performers of one race represent another and actors exchange roles by switching costumes. Chong says his work "grows according to an organic process. Basically, what it comes down to is that it's an inclusive as opposed to an exclusive environment." In his collaborations every participant has a voice. Exploring and exposing history is another theme of Chong's work. He believes that history is the key to unwinding the complexities of modernity because knowledge of the past provides insights for the future. His performances use beautiful images seasoned with historical facts and personal disclosures to create an evocative theatrical experience. Chong's allegorical Performance pieces are challenging because they are not anchored in time or space, nor do they hold a linear structure. Chong describes his works as a puzzle with pieces strewn about for the audience to assemble. The work offers no distinct answers to the grand questions it poses. [show less]