Kristina Wong

Kristina Wong is a performance artist, comedian, writer and elected representative who has been presented internationally throughout North America, the UK, Hong Kong and Africa. The unifying characteristic of her work is employing humor to explore difficult subjects that tackle themes regarding race, sex, and privilege, often in conjunction with the Asian-American experience. She describes her aesthetic as ​“subversive, humorous, and endearingly inappropriate.”

Wong has been a guest of late-night shows on NBC, Comedy Central and FX. She starred in her own pilot presentation with Lionsgate for truTV. Her commentaries have appeared on American Public Media’s Marketplace, PBS, VICE, Jezebel, Playgirl Magazine, Huffington Post, and CNN. She’s been awarded artist residencies from MacDowell, New York Theater Workshop, the San Diego International Airport, and Ojai Playwrights Festival. Her work has been awarded with grants from Creative Capital, The MAP Fund, Center for Cultural Innovation, National Performance Network, a COLA Master Artist Fellowship from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, nine Los Angeles Artist-in-Residence awards, Center Theatre Group’s Sherwood Award, and the Art Matters Foundation.

Her recent Kristina Wong for Public Office is simultaneously a real life stint as the elected Sub-district 5 representative of Wilshire Center Koreatown Neighborhood Council and rally campaign show. That show was filmed for Center Theater Group’s Digital Stage, where she is also a Creative Collective member.

Kristina founded Auntie Sewing Squad, a national mutual aid network of volunteers that sewed cloth masks for vulnerable communities during the Covid pandemic. Their book, The Auntie Sewing Squad Guide to Mask Making, Radical Care and Racial Justice, is published by the University of California Press. Her role in the Auntie Sewing Squad is the subject of her currently touring Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord—a ​“New York Times Critics Pick” that premiered off-Broadway at New York Theater Workshop. The show won the Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards for ​“Outstanding Solo Performance”.

Presented with support from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Series presenting partners: Detroit Public Television and PBS Books. Media partner: Michigan Radio.