Karaoke Monkey: The Big Circus Journey

With Karaoke Monkey: The Big Circus Journey, Kenneth Lin expands his work presented in the exhibition Future Continuous. In the performance, he brings to life the paper theatre that forms part of his installation. The performance is based on the traditional Japanese storytelling theatre Kamishibai, in which illustrated panels are displayed one after the other within a small stage frame and accompanied by a spoken narrative.

At the centre is the fictional character Karaoke Monkey, who is touring with a circus. Its story links the cities of Hamburg, Fukuoka and Hsinchu. It traces a past in which zoos and circuses served as sites for colonial spectacles. Through the interplay of image and narrative, the approximately 40-minute performance questions the very act of watching as a historically charged practice that both produces and perpetuates colonial orders.