Karen Tam

My name is Karen Tam (she/her). I am a Tiotià:ke/Montreal-based artist and curator whose research focuses on the constructions and imaginations of cultures and communities. In my installations, I recreate Chinese restaurants, karaoke lounges, opium dens, curio shops, and other sites of cultural encounters. Since 2000, I have also exhibited my work all over the world, including in North America, Europe, and China.

In 2024, I exhibited my research on Cantonese opera in a project installation at the Toronto Biennial of Art titled Scent of Thunderbolts. I recreated a stage with props, a soundscape, and archival images of Cantonese opera performances in Canada. I continued to expand and add to this project as it moved online to the Digital Museums Canada (DMC) platform in 2026, where the expanded installation is free for everyone to access.

Follow me online in this project as I discover Cantonese opera through archives, family collections, an art installation, and community conversations. We will enter the world of Cantonese opera as it journeys from southern China to Canada’s Chinatowns, carried by the performers, families, and communities who have kept it alive. More than a performance tradition, Cantonese opera is a living social practice that shaped gathering places, preserved stories and repertoire, and offers communities forms of creativity and care across generations. I am not an expert but someone learning along the way; whether you are new to Cantonese opera or already familiar with it, let’s be curious together.