IHOT SINLAY CIHEK FITOLOL

       Ihot Sinlay Cihek (she/her) is a visionary Indigenous theatre artist, playwright, and performer of Pangcah descent from the Tafalong tribe in Hualien, Taiwan. Deeply rooted in her tribal heritage, her artistic practice critically explores the intersections of Indigenous identity, feminist theory, and contemporary Taiwanese cultural politics. Through innovative performance-making, literary theatre, and embodied narrative methodologies, Ihot interrogates conventional portrayals of indigeneity, gender dynamics, and cultural transformation.

       Active since 2008, Ihot employs anthropological approaches and experimental performance techniques to articulate a corporeal language of indigeneity that resists essentialism, foregrounding embodied presence as a critical site of cultural negotiation. Her work consistently navigates the affective and aesthetic tensions between rural Indigenous experiences and urban modernity, positioning herself as a contemporary "flâneuse" who traverses liminal spaces between cityscapes and tribal territories. As a writer, director, and performer, Ihot creates dynamic narrative frameworks that thoughtfully examine themes of memory, displacement, and reimagined lineage, actively challenging mainstream narratives through nuanced storytelling.

Ihot's acclaimed body of work includes notable recent productions such as "The Knife" (theatre, 2025), "How Romantic: A Guide to Modern Pangcah Life" (2023), "Beginning of a Pangcah" (performance art, 2022), "Skin" (performance art, 2022), "She Dresses Me in Ha'dal" (performance art, 2022), and "The Glowing Girl" (theatre, 2021). Her contributions to the performing arts have garnered significant recognition, earning prestigious honors such as the Pulima Art Award (Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation, 2023), finalist placement at the Taishin Arts Award (Taishin Bank Foundation for Art and Culture, 2023), and the Taiwan Literature Golden Award (Ministry of Culture Taiwan, 2023).

        Through her distinctive fusion of traditional Pangcah storytelling with contemporary theatrical practices, Ihot Sinlay Cihek continues to influence and enrich global dialogues on Indigenous performance, gender studies, and cultural representation.