BOOK NOW
£25
Yasmine Anlan Huang
2020
Gatsa
£25
Jiaoyang Li, Xiaoyan Lin and Gatsa Collective
2022
In Cantonese, Gatsa means cockroach. During the democratic movement in Hong Kong, local students were called cockroaches by the police. Swing in America, Gatsa is a nickname for immigrants. However we interpret it, Gatsa is the stigma we as an invasive species were given. However, we are not bitter or scared. We love being immortal cockroaches. We aspire to become cockroach goddesses.
Founded by John Tsung, Gatsa is an artist collective. We are poets, musicians, puppeteers, visual artists. We are from Korea, Japan Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China. Here and there, our ages are erased, our nationalities are confused, and our languages and accents are blended into a new language. While our home countries might still fight with each other. We are still here, reuniting in art and music, like ancient immortals occasionally chanting during the noon break, before the continents throw their shoulders. Gatsa is the name of our band and the testimony of our time.
曱甴（GATSA!），这个需要上下两排牙齿手枪一样敲击才能发出的词，是我们乐队的名字。相比正统意义上的乐队，GATSA!更像是一个松散的协作团体，由最近十年从亚洲各地搬来美国的音乐制作人、歌手、吉他手、诗人、学者组成。我们每周在Gramercy Park 附近驻足小憩，暂时忘记年龄、国别和语言，把冰淇淋和愤怒都变成作品。从一首诗变成一本诗，又从一本诗变成一组跨语种歌词，最后成为一张音乐专辑。转译于语言与语言，歌词本、艺术书与研究手册之间的，是我们关于爱与愤怒的声音文字卡片。
曱甴是粤语里的「蟑螂」，是新生儿、新移民和异见人士背负的标签。也许它们很短命，但它们却是串联地下世界版图最活跃的主人，不管错综复杂的下水管道和政治时局将如何修建，语言、信息、故事都将在曱甴的脚印下流转。曱甴是一种永远被驱逐却又无法真正被驱逐的动物,代表着我们中的一部分人以及一部分人的整个生命。在资本主义的厨房里,曱甴偷偷搬运著自由的残渣;在肮脏的地铁中，曱甴在窸窣的黑暗中勾勒出迷人的领地。
曱甴的边缘性和不死性,让它在恐惧和抗拒之间带著寓言般的力量，成为一种新鲜的神灵。看似由两个头脚相扣的苍蝇拍子组成的「曱甴」二字，既是被赋予的恶名，也是一个护身符，让我们携带着偏见穿越飞地。感谢 John Tsung委任这个项目，让不知道如何开始的东西有了一个开始，让期期艾艾的东西有了真实的声音和痕迹。(Jiaoyang/文）