Nuo Opera-The Art of Renewal

Date and Time: 19/12/2025, 10am-1pm

Location: Somerset House East Wing Inigo Rooms -1.08

1. Concept and background

Event concept: “What happens when we wear a mask today? In an age of digital faces and shifting identities, can art still empower transformation?”

With these questions in mind, we present Nuo Opera — The Art of Renewal, an immersive half-day exhibition that explores the universal symbolism of the mask — as a tool of transformation, protection, and expression — through the lens of Chinese Nuo Opera and contemporary creative practice.

In the context of globalization, intangible cultural heritage faces challenges of modernization and cultural disconnection. Through this exhibition, we hope to reveal how Nuo Opera, as a living and evolving art form, can use the mask as a vessel to become a language of empowerment that transcends borders and cultures.

By integrating traditional aesthetics with participatory art, our event invites audiences to reflect on how ancient rituals can inspire new forms of self-expression, belonging, and renewal in contemporary culture.

Background: Originating over a thousand years ago, Nuo Opera began as a ritual to invoke blessings. Over time, it has evolved beyond the boundaries of theatre, becoming a collective ceremony that weaves together spiritual belief, bodily movement, exquisite craftsmanship, and community identity.

At the heart of Nuo performance lies the mask — its primary expressive medium. Each mask not only represents a deity or spirit but also embodies human emotion, protection, and transformation through creative artistry.

Across cultures and through centuries, masks have allowed humanity to transcend the limits of identity — transforming into gods, spirits, heroes, and hidden selves. In Chinese tradition, the mask carries a sacred power to heal, bless, and protect communities. Every carved face holds layers of meaning, collectively performing a ritual of renewal that reconnects humanity with faith and the spiritual world.

2. Experiences & Activities (Half-Day Interactive Event)

This half-day immersive event invites participants to engage with the ritual and creative possibilities of masks through interactive art-making and performance:

🎨Mask Painting WorkshopBegin with a blank Nuo mask — an empty canvas symbolizing potential. Guided by examples of traditional motifs, participants will hand-paint their own masks, expressing personal interpretations of identity, emotion, and transformation.

💃Dance & Costume Interaction
Step into the role of transformation. Try on Nuo-inspired costumes and masks, and follow an interactive video that introduces the symbolic gestures of traditional Nuo dance. Movement becomes a language of empowerment and embodied storytelling.

📹Immersive Visual Installation
Video projections showcase Nuo Opera — ritual origins, mask-making craftsmanship, and cultural legacy—revealing how art and faith intertwine in the pursuit of renewal.

📷Photo & Reflection CornerCapture your transformation and share your interpretation of empowerment through art. This space invites participants to reflect on how masks “both literal and metaphorical ” shape identity in a connected world.

3. Them: The Mask as Empowerment

At its core, Nuo Opera — The Art of Renewal explores the mask as a universal metaphor — a bridge between self and society, tradition and innovation.
By engaging with the physical act of masking and unmasking, visitors rediscover the empowering potential of cultural heritage: how ancient rituals can renew modern creativity, and how art can help us face — and reimagine — who we are. enabling individuals to connect with cultural roots, challenge cultural stereotypes, and reimagine the role of ritual in a globalized world.

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Host or Publisher CMCI Winter Festival 2025