Red Letters (2026) is a participatory performance piece that touches upon Chinese identity, traditions, and generational trauma. Taking the tradition of giving hongbaos during Lunar New Year, the performance re-interprets the gift of fortune and luck (赐福) with the gift of reconciliation (和解). The artist takes on the role of a medium to go between the participant and recipient of the letters, giving the audience the chance to write unspoken words to their loved ones. The performance aims to break the generational trauma that is often held back by cultural norms, and in turn, creates a new tradition that emphasises vulnerability and kinship across generations.

The series of 40 hongbaos were made of my family’s hongbao collection that goes back 20+ years. These were then reduced to paper pulp and recycled into new pouches—a symbol of making new traditions out of old ones.