Tales of the Tofu Goddess (2025)
TALES OF THE TOFU GODDESS: The Artful Life of FLO OY WONG
Premiere Screening at 2025 Silicon Valley Asian American FilmFest on Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:00am, at the AMC Dine-In Theatre, 150 E McKinley Ave, Sunnyvale, California.
“Daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, auntie, artist, poet, educator, activist, Chinese American, Hoisan-wa speaker, even ‘an elegant old broad’” —Any of these terms might be used to describe Flo Oy Wong, but the sum of her parts adds up to something far greater. At 87, American artist Flo Oy Wong is still seeking and finding beauty in all aspects of her artful life. Ever curious, Wong continues to blaze her own path, conjuring change, both for her community and for herself. She speaks through walls, dripping canvases and mended fabrics, inviting all to see the light and the poetry in possibility.
I dedicate this film to my husband, Edward K. Wong, whose love, stalwart support, archivist and organizing skills provided space for me to continue as a visual and literary storyteller of family, culture, and community.
FLO OY WONG
Featured works by FLO OY WONG (in order of appearance)
Mom, Pop and Me (1984)
My Mother’s Baggage (1998)
made in usa: Angel Island Shhh (2000-2003)
Gell Noy Yee: Call Me Auntie – poem (2018)
Rice Sacks for My Siblings (1993)
Yu Mai Gee Fon: Eye of the Rice (1987-1998)
Lee See Star Mai Aung (1989)
Circle Series paintings (1991)
Tian’anmen Square (1989)
For Freedom They Truly Care – excerpt of poem (2024)
Baby Jack Rice Story (1993-1996)
To Bay Min: The Baby Jack Rice Story (1993)
Gwah Gai: Crossing the Street (2013)
Dreaming of Glistening Pomelos (2018)
723 Legacy Mural (2024)
Icee Clem – excerpt of poem (2018)
Ai Joong Wah: Great China – excerpt of poem (2018)
In a Black Bowl – poem (2025)
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
FLO OY WONG makes art and writes poetry to tell stories about her immigrant family and other Asian communities. Growing up in Oakland Chinatown, she spoke her family’s ancestral dialect, Hoisan-wa. Flo is a recipient of three National Endowment for the Arts awards, and co-founder of the San Francisco-based Asian American Women Artists Association. In the year 2000, Kearny Street Workshop presented Flo Oy Wong’s “made in usa: Angel Island Shhh” exhibit, which explored the identity secrets of Chinese immigrants detained and interrogated in the United States. In 2018, Flo published her art and poetry book, Dreaming of Glistening Pomelos, inspired by her childhood. A member of The Last Hoisan Poets, she reads with sister poets Genny Lim and Nellie Wong. Contemporary Asian Theater Scene presented Flo with their 2022 Image Hero Award.
ANDI WONG (Director) has a special interest in exploring the materials and languages of art. A fifth generation Chinese American, Andi researches and records history, helping to archive the important contributions of artists. As project coordinator for ArtsEd4All, (Arts Education for Lifelong Learning artsed4all.org), she enjoys playing with others, applying imagination and creativity, in service of community. Her creative partners include the Blue Mind Collective, Del Sol Quartet, First Voice – Brenda Wong Aoki & Mark Izu, Internet Archive, composer/musician Marcus Shelby and The Last Hoisan Poets – Genny Lim, Flo Oy Wong and Nellie Wong. Her first professionally presented short film, “Drawn From Life: The Creative Legacy of Flo Oy Wong” premiered at SVAPFF 2023. She is thrilled to celebrate Flo’s 87th birthday with “Tales of the Tofu Goddess: The Artful Life of Flo Oy Wong” at SVAPFF 2025.
ABOUT THE 723 WEBSTER LEGACY MURAL PROJECT
The LEGACY Mural, a project of the Community Rejuvenation Project and the Oakland Chinatown Oral History Project. The mural by artists DESI MUNDO and FLO OY WONG, was painted on the building at 723 Webster Street—once home to the Wong family’s restaurant, the Great China.
CATS: Realities of Being an AAPI Artist
Poet & Artist Flo Oy Wong
Art, Identity, and Storytelling through Mixed Media (Sep 6, 2024)
https://www.catsasiantheaterscene.org/blog/realities-of-being-an-aapi-artist/flo-oy-wong