Beings sprung from the existential question that Wang Yeu-Kwn grappled with during Covid-19: why do people have to prove that they exist? Taking inspiration from the Chinese character 人 (person) – two intimately connected dancers perform on a four-by-four metre piece of rice paper. Their movements cause the paper to wrinkle and twist while the black calligraphy ink streaming down the dancers leaves irreversible marks.

About the contender:

Wang Yeu-Kwn is the founder and artistic director of Shimmering Production, a Taiwanese dance company focusing on creating contemporary experimental works and movement workshops for the general public. Once a dancer for Cloud Gate 2, in recent years he has turned his focus to choreography, taking an interest in exploring the connections and disconnections between people, environments, and cultures.

Image description: Two performers stand facing each other, one bent forwards displaying their back, skin tight across their spine. The other looks down towards them. Some material that looks like the train of a dress is side lit to look like crumpled paper. The lighting is otherwise very dark. The image feels intense and like the two are having a private moment.
Header image © Chen You-Wei