šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square, North of the Vancouver Art Gallery
1:30 PM - 6:00 PM
About the Program
Not Chinese, nor British, as depicted in Wong Kar-wai’s film Happy Together, Hongkongers often experience a sense of rootlessness, where they don’t feel they belong to either group. The ambiguity of Hongkongers’ identity is evident in many aspects, particularly in language and culture. Upon immigrating to a new country, many Hongkongers finally confront the long-avoided question: What are we?
Vancouver’s own Third Culture Collective will present five music acts at TAIWANfest to explore this enigma.
handwash is a stage name for Hon Lam Chan, who was born and raised in Hong Kong, currently based and actively engaged in Vancouver's vibrant music scene. handwash’s work often explores themes of Masculinity, Asian identity as a Hong Kong diaspora, and topics surrounding how meditation serves his personal growth and creative practice.
As a producer, handwash took the name from washing instruction labels, taking the parallels between garments and music. The interpersonal approach to his process of ‘cleansing’ provides vulnerability to the braggadocious side to hip-hop.
handwash draws sonic inspiration everywhere, from dance to ambience. Like many of his favourite contemporary hip hop and r&b artists, the Asian identity, his roots, and language makes him unique.
Shinlok, a singer-songwriter originating from Hong Kong and currently residing in Vancouver. Through his musical diary, Shinlok shares his personal feelings, stories, and thoughts, offering listeners a genuine and laid-back glimpse into his life and creative process. Each tune serves as a heartfelt expression, capturing the essence of Shinlok's identity and evolution as an artist and individual.
Kei Valentine is an independent artist from Hong Kong and is currently based in Vancouver. Kei’s works often explore loneliness in the form of romance and growing up. His music is an exploration of his life and psyche, this leads to a great focus on lyric-writing when he is composing. His background in Jazz has influenced his music production work greatly, often taking the form of contemporary Pop-Rnb as well as Hip-Hop.
James Tseung is a Hong Kong musician and composer currently based in Vancouver. Since his college years, he has been composing for films, animations, art installations, theatre productions, and different musical ensembles
He released his debut work From Midnight To Dawn in 2020, a soul-soothing EP that expresses his nostalgia and melancholy. His second album Vagabond is a conceptual album that reflects upon the turbulence he has experienced around his homeland and also the world since 2019. The last track “Afterward” is a recording of his original piece played on a 50ft high chime tower located at his school.
Crayon is a singer-songwriter who grew up in Hong Kong and is currently based in Vancouver to explore his music life. Crayon approaches music with an intuitive, raw sincerity. The music he creates is painted with vibrant, varied hues of emotions and cultural richness. With the strong influence of Cantonese and Mandarin pop music, Crayon weaves tales of life, love, and longing through his melody, capturing the essence of feelings that words alone cannot fully encompass. Crayon's music serves as a reminder of the beauty in simplicity, the clarity in emotion, and the power of art to connect us all.
From the Curating Team
TAIWANfest welcomes local artists to the stage in a presentation of live music and dance that reflects the transformation of cultural diversity.
About the Program
Not Chinese, nor British, as depicted in Wong Kar-wai’s film Happy Together, Hongkongers often experience a sense of rootlessness, where they don’t feel they belong to either group. The ambiguity of Hongkongers’ identity is evident in many aspects, particularly in language and culture. Upon immigrating to a new country, many Hongkongers finally confront the long-avoided question: What are we?
Vancouver’s own Third Culture Collective will present five music acts at TAIWANfest to explore this enigma.
handwash is a stage name for Hon Lam Chan, who was born and raised in Hong Kong, currently based and actively engaged in Vancouver's vibrant music scene. handwash’s work often explores themes of Masculinity, Asian identity as a Hong Kong diaspora, and topics surrounding how meditation serves his personal growth and creative practice.
As a producer, handwash took the name from washing instruction labels, taking the parallels between garments and music. The interpersonal approach to his process of ‘cleansing’ provides vulnerability to the braggadocious side to hip-hop.
handwash draws sonic inspiration everywhere, from dance to ambience. Like many of his favourite contemporary hip hop and r&b artists, the Asian identity, his roots, and language makes him unique.
Shinlok, a singer-songwriter originating from Hong Kong and currently residing in Vancouver. Through his musical diary, Shinlok shares his personal feelings, stories, and thoughts, offering listeners a genuine and laid-back glimpse into his life and creative process. Each tune serves as a heartfelt expression, capturing the essence of Shinlok's identity and evolution as an artist and individual.
Kei Valentine is an independent artist from Hong Kong and is currently based in Vancouver. Kei’s works often explore loneliness in the form of romance and growing up. His music is an exploration of his life and psyche, this leads to a great focus on lyric-writing when he is composing. His background in Jazz has influenced his music production work greatly, often taking the form of contemporary Pop-Rnb as well as Hip-Hop.
James Tseung is a Hong Kong musician and composer currently based in Vancouver. Since his college years, he has been composing for films, animations, art installations, theatre productions, and different musical ensembles
He released his debut work From Midnight To Dawn in 2020, a soul-soothing EP that expresses his nostalgia and melancholy. His second album Vagabond is a conceptual album that reflects upon the turbulence he has experienced around his homeland and also the world since 2019. The last track “Afterward” is a recording of his original piece played on a 50ft high chime tower located at his school.
Crayon is a singer-songwriter who grew up in Hong Kong and is currently based in Vancouver to explore his music life. Crayon approaches music with an intuitive, raw sincerity. The music he creates is painted with vibrant, varied hues of emotions and cultural richness. With the strong influence of Cantonese and Mandarin pop music, Crayon weaves tales of life, love, and longing through his melody, capturing the essence of feelings that words alone cannot fully encompass. Crayon's music serves as a reminder of the beauty in simplicity, the clarity in emotion, and the power of art to connect us all.
From the Curating Team
TAIWANfest welcomes local artists to the stage in a presentation of live music and dance that reflects the transformation of cultural diversity.
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Performance / Vendor / Sponsorship Opportunities
TAIWANfest Vancouver is grateful to be held on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish Nation), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). We acknowledge our privilege to be gathered here, and commit to work with and be respectful to the Indigenous peoples of this land while we engage in meaningful conversations of culture and reconciliation.