YEAR OF THE DRAGON © VANJA KARAS

YEAR OF THE DRAGON
Behind the scenes of almost dying art and now seldom publicly staged, Chinese Street Opera. It captures actors stripping off their masks and getting back into their mundane lives. ‘Jing’ and ‘Chou’ represent two of the four main character types of Chinese Opera. The Painted Face roles are the most recognisable parts indicating the personality and temperament of the character. ‘Jing’ with a white mask primarily portrays sinister and treacherous villains. Whilst ‘Chou’, the clown, with reddened face and black eyebrows, representing lower classes and speaking in colloquialisms. Clown’s combination of humour and ugliness is believed to drive away evil spirits.

Chinese Street Opera, ‘Jing’ and ‘Chou’. From the series ‘Year of the Dragon’. Penang, Malaysia 2012.