Kenta Yamazaki | Li Wen-Hao Performance Presentation 'Aijin'
Taiwanese artist Li Wen-Hao presented 'Aijin,' tracing Teresa Teng's career and Taiwanese socio-political changes through her songs, highlighting cultural differences in the term 'Aijin.'Summary
The performance presentation 'Aijin' by Taiwanese performance artist Li Wen-Hao was presented as the outcome of a residency at PARADISE AIR. The title references a song by Teresa Teng, but Li explored the linguistic contrast: in Taiwanese Mandarin, 'Aijin' means spouse, whereas in Japan, it strongly connotes a mistress. Starting with his own experience learning Japanese through Teng's Japanese songs, Li contrasted the 'soft and sweet' image of Teng in Taiwan with her complex reality. The presentation featured Li singing ten of Teng's Japanese songs, structured like a jukebox musical, tracing her life alongside Taiwan's political and social shifts—including passport scandals, exile from Japan, and her role as a government spokesperson. The performance interwove English lectures, Japanese singing, and readings in Taiwanese Mandarin of a fan's diary, offering perspectives from those living under martial law in Taiwan and touching upon US-Taiwan relations. Li's unique and charming approach demonstrated that popular music cannot escape politics, grounding abstract issues in the concrete reality of lived human experience.
(Source：artscape)