Aroma Cantonese Opera Troupe in Collaboration with Karen Tam

esea contemporary

Aroma Cantonese Opera Workshop in collaboration with Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art 2025

esea contemporary and Liverpool Biennial are pleased to co-present an engaging public programme featuring the Aroma Cantonese Opera Troupe in collaboration with artist Karen Tam, as part of the Liverpool Biennial’s official programme. This collaboration highlights the cultural heritage of Cantonese opera and its connections to diasporic Chinese communities, explored through Karen Tam’s immersive installation, Scent of Thunderbolts (2024).The collaboration launches with a workshop led by the Aroma Cantonese Opera Troupe on Saturday, 7 June 2025 at esea contemporary in Manchester, coinciding with the opening week of the Liverpool Biennial. Artist Karen Tam will deliver a talk during the workshop, engaging directly with participants.This initial event will be followed by a public presentation in July 2025 featuring the troupe's performance within Tam's Liverpool installation. The installation incorporates photographic portraits of the Aroma Cantonese Opera Troupe members, creating a powerful visual dialogue that explores themes of tradition, cultural migration, and diasporic identity.This programme is realised with the generous support of the North West Regional Strategic Migration Partnership (RSMP). 我們誠邀您參與這個特別的粵劇唱腔活動，以粵劇唱腔為基礎的藝術體驗！本活動由資深粵劇工作者馮錦齡與梁宛華親自指導，並攜手藝術家譚嘉雯共同呈獻。工作坊將由譚嘉雯的藝術分享環節揭開序幕，她將介紹其於 2025 年利物浦雙年展展出的互動裝置藝術作品《Scent of Thunderbolts》。該作品旨在探索粵劇與華人社群之間的文化聯繫，並呈現「錦添花粤劇團」的珍貴照片。無需任何經驗，只需帶上您的好奇心，一同沉浸在粵劇的深厚傳統之中！

About Aroma Cantonese Opera TroupeEstablished in 1994 by Kamling Fung and Yuen Wah Leung—renowned Cantonese opera practitioners from Hong Kong—the Aroma Cantonese Opera Troupe has developed a significant portfolio of on-stage performances. Kamling and Yuen Wah also lead Cantonese opera workshops as part of esea contemporary’s Artclub initiative, which engages East and Southeast Asian residents of Greater Manchester aged 50 and over. This collaboration connects the troupe with Karen Tam, who was an artist-in-residence at esea contemporary (formerly known as the Chinese Arts Centre) in 2007.About Karen Tam<a href="https://karentam.ca/" title="https://karentam.ca/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Karen Tam</a> 譚嘉文 is a Tiohtià:ke/Montreal-based artist and curator whose research focuses on the constructions and imaginations of cultures and communities. In her installations, she recreates Chinese restaurants, karaoke lounges, opium dens, curio shops and other sites of cultural encounters. Since 2000, she has exhibited her work and participated in residencies in North America, Europe, and China, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, He Xiangning Art Museum, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the Deutsche Börse Residency at the Frankfurter Kunstverein, and the Toronto Biennial of Art. Tam’s exhibition, Swallowing Mountains, presented by the McCord Stewart Museum, received an Honourable Mention at the 2024 Canadian Museums Association Awards. The collaboration between esea contemporary and Liverpool Biennial offers an opportunity to engage with the artistry of Cantonese opera and the conceptual depth of Karen Tam’s installation, fostering a dialogue between tradition and contemporary practice. 關於錦添花粤劇團馮錦玲與梁苑華是來自香港的粵劇工作者。二人在 1994 年成立「錦添花粤劇團」，每年均舉辦演出，舞台經驗豐富。2004 年，二人入讀香港演藝學院中國戲曲課程，並獲得「演藝培訓證書(粵劇)—夜間兼讀課程」的證書。 Image courtesy of Aroma Cantonese Opera Troupe

About esea contemporary<a href="https://www.eseacontemporary.org/" title="https://www.eseacontemporary.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">esea contemporary</a> is the UK’s only non-profit art centre specialising in presenting and platforming artists and art practices that identify with and are informed by East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) cultural backgrounds.esea contemporary is situated in an award-winning building in the heart of Manchester, home to one of the largest East Asian populations in the UK. Since its inauguration as a community-oriented visual arts festival in 1986, esea contemporary has continuously evolved to establish itself as a dynamic and engaging space for cross-cultural exchanges in the British art scene, as well as in a global context.esea contemporary aims to increase the visibility of contemporary art practices from the East and Southeast Asian communities and their diasporas. It is a site for forward-thinking art programmes that beyond exhibitions also include commissions, research, residencies, publishing, and a wide range of vibrant public events. esea contemporary values creativity, compassion, interconnectedness, and collectivity in implementing its mission.esea contemporary 是英國獨一無二的非營利藝術機構，致力於展示並支持東亞及東南亞文化背景且受其啟發的藝術家和藝術實踐。esea contemporary位於英國東亞人口最集中的城市之一——曼徹斯特市中心一座屢獲殊榮的建築內。機構創建於1986年，其雛型是以社區為導向的視覺藝術節，後經不斷發展，成為英國華人當代藝術中心，又經機構轉型，現為一家在英國藝術界及全球範圍內促進跨文化交流、激發創作活力與社區互動的藝術空間。esea contemporary 旨在提高東亞和東南亞社區及其僑民當代藝術實踐的知名度。機構建立在創造力、同情心、連結、合作的價值觀之上，其前瞻性的藝術計畫除展覽之外，還包括作品委任、研究、駐地、出版和豐富多元的公共活動。Photo by Joe Smith.

esea contemporary is partnering with the North West Regional Strategic Migration Partnership (RSMP) to offer free family and community activities for newly arrived Hongkongers in the UK. Find out more about how the RSMP are supporting Hong Kong BN(O)s: www.northwestrsmp.org.uk/hong-kong-bnoesea contemporary 與英格蘭西北移民策略合作夥伴(RSMP) 合作，為新來到英國的香港人提供親子工作坊及社區活動。了解更多關於 RSMP 如何支持香港英國國民(海外)身份持有人:www.northwestrsmp.org.uk/hong-kong-bno