Words & Pictures

For the project New Circus Portraits, series #3 I interviewed the subjects and wrote text panels which were exhibited with the portraits.

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Anna Yen

Anna Yen is a “slackrope-walking, egg balancing fool”, by her own admission. Anna also directs and teaches circus skills and circus theatre, and is known to gad about with hula hoops and a wushi sword. She ran away to Tasmania in the 80’s after accidentally getting a Bachelor of Arts from Sydney Uni. In Tassie, Anna co-founded and performed in the Tasmanian Women's Circus and Horizon Circus, and she also co ordinated the Tasmanian Youth Circus. Then in 1990, she moved to Brisbane to perform with Rock'n'Roll Circus, and she later studied physical theatre in London and Paris. She has taught and directed for Vulcana Women's Circus as well as numerous other community theatre projects. Anna recently made a film Chinese Take Away about the lives of her mother and grandmother for SBS television. This was an adaption from the one woman physical theatre show of the same name which she wrote and performed in 1997. Despite her successes, Anna stresses that she is still a slackrope walking, egg balancing fool.

From Pictures