BALD GIRLS "A DOOR" ZAJIA LAB BEIJING
BALD GIRLS
“Bald Girls: Exhibition of Xiao Lu, Li Xinmo, Lan Jiny” opened at Iberia Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing on March 3, 2012. Different from some feminism-themed exhibitions in China, this one, curated by the Chinese-German curator Xu Juan, openly put forward “feminism”, sparked off a lot of debates and discussions. “Bald Girls”, aiming at bringing change to the gender discrimination in China and promoting sustainable feminism, will set up a platform for the transmission of feminism with the medium of art. While devoting itself to the introduction and studies in feminism, it will collaborate with the Italian Zajia Lab in Beijing in promoting avant-garde Chinese feminist art, as well as introducing important overseas feminist artists to China.
"A DOOR" AS THEME
Feminism, one of the most important human contribution to the 21st century, helps us to reevaluate the world that we used to take for granted. It symbolizes that half the dormant human beings have awakened, and they are playing their role in the progress of human civilization. Feminism is like a hall in the sense because one cannot embrace a new life unless he/she enters by the door. The door in this case is nothing but women’s self-awakening. “A door” here stands for women themselves. If they open themselves they are opening feminism, a philosophy that teaches them to be independent and free. Feminism starts nowhere than from women themselves. The past forty year has witnessed all its ups and downs. The feminism-conscious “Bald Girls” will cooperate with Zajia Lib to open a door, inviting artist from both China and abroad to set up a platform for feminist art, who, from their unique perspective, will share with us how they went beyond “their self” to embrace and entered the world by a larger door: “we”.
Starting from 2013, Zajia Lab and “Bald Girls” will carry out a new project over a period of four or five years. As a project about feminism in China and the history and status quo of feminism in the West, it will invite an internationally renowned feminist artist to interact with “Bald Girls”(avant-garde feminist artist in China) on a yearly basis. There will be exhibitions, live art, forums and other forms of dialogues between Chinese feminists artists and their western counterparts with art as medium for this in-depth communication. Artists will also be a medium for the discussion of both common features and difference between Chinese feminism and Western feminism, the implication and significance of feminism, and the possibility for its growth in China.
TRANSGRESSION IN ART AND SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS AS WOMEN
Bauermeister will be the visiting feminist artist this year. As a forerunner of the Fluxus Movement, she witnessed how feminism developed prior to its second wave. With her Independent spirit and rebellious personality, she initiated an era in art. From music to installation, she tried a series of transgression activities. The Chinese artists to hold dialogues with Bauermeister come from different domains, including Fanny, a experimental musician of human voice who shows her feminist awareness by singing for aging and cellulite, and Maizi, a member of the Feminist Action, who spreads feminism by practicing what she preaches. Emi Shimizu, a Japanese women artist with strong global consciousness who has lived in China for many years, will also be present. Her unique art language will offer a different view of feminist art in Asia. Andrea Thal, a Swiss artist and curator with rich experience in feminist art will also join in by introducing the reflection and dialogues on feminism in current Europe.
Lan Jiny and Li Xinmo, who have started “Bald Girls”, will participate in an unconventional way with their transgression in art. Inspired by the “anti-art” pursuit in Fluxus Movement, this art event aims to break away with conventional exhibition patterns. It will combine the historical and international elements brought by Bauermeister, Emi Shimizu and Andrea Thal with the protests made by Feminist Action, while integrating music, poetry, painting and photography for the discussion of transgression in art. “Bald Girls: A Door” is an intersection of feminism in the global perspective and in the Chines context, across time and culture. It will be an avant-garde and contemporary platform for the exploration of feminist art. For the participation of Chinese feminism, the event will highlight in-situ, sense of space, diversity of form, departure from the norm, non-textual and experimental factors and continuity.
Transgression in art is the major thematic concern of this event that will be centered on self-consciousness as women. Therefore these works become the embodiment of women’s self-awakening. As a topic for discussion, women’s self-consciousness will add a more profound dimension. Genuine art production comes from self-consciousness. Following the awakening of self-consciousness as women, feminist art starts. Independence and autonomy are the key to women’s liberation. Therefore, women’s liberation is first the liberation of the self, the affirmation and pursuit of the self-being and its value. More importantly, the independent spirit has to be brought into artistic creation to reveal the existence of art and its significance.
From an exhibition to a concept, “Bald Girls” has become a hotbed for avant-garde feminism in China, and its website, a medium as well, has helped the feminist artists to voice their minds . It marks the debut of the independent and free avant-garde feminist art in China
“Bald Girls” values independence, believes in the power of art to intervene society and culture, advocates that feminist art should stick to its quality of being avant-guard, present, intellectual and independent. For “Bald Girls”, “the mind” is their weapon, and society, politics and culture their battlefield.
Artists: Mary Bauermeister (Germany), Fanny, Emi Shimizu (Japan), Li Xinmo, Lan Jiny, Li Maizi, Andrea Thal (Switzerland) | Feminist action
Duration: May 25 - June 16, 2013
Curator: Xu Juan
Sponsor: Zajia Lab, Bald Girls, I O Cultural Network e. V.
Co-Sponsor: Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
“Bald Girls: Exhibition of Xiao Lu, Li Xinmo, Lan Jiny” opened at Iberia Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing on March 3, 2012. Different from some feminism-themed exhibitions in China, this one, curated by the Chinese-German curator Xu Juan, openly put forward “feminism”, sparked off a lot of debates and discussions. “Bald Girls”, aiming at bringing change to the gender discrimination in China and promoting sustainable feminism, will set up a platform for the transmission of feminism with the medium of art. While devoting itself to the introduction and studies in feminism, it will collaborate with the Italian Zajia Lab in Beijing in promoting avant-garde Chinese feminist art, as well as introducing important overseas feminist artists to China.
"A DOOR" AS THEME
Feminism, one of the most important human contribution to the 21st century, helps us to reevaluate the world that we used to take for granted. It symbolizes that half the dormant human beings have awakened, and they are playing their role in the progress of human civilization. Feminism is like a hall in the sense because one cannot embrace a new life unless he/she enters by the door. The door in this case is nothing but women’s self-awakening. “A door” here stands for women themselves. If they open themselves they are opening feminism, a philosophy that teaches them to be independent and free. Feminism starts nowhere than from women themselves. The past forty year has witnessed all its ups and downs. The feminism-conscious “Bald Girls” will cooperate with Zajia Lib to open a door, inviting artist from both China and abroad to set up a platform for feminist art, who, from their unique perspective, will share with us how they went beyond “their self” to embrace and entered the world by a larger door: “we”.
Starting from 2013, Zajia Lab and “Bald Girls” will carry out a new project over a period of four or five years. As a project about feminism in China and the history and status quo of feminism in the West, it will invite an internationally renowned feminist artist to interact with “Bald Girls”(avant-garde feminist artist in China) on a yearly basis. There will be exhibitions, live art, forums and other forms of dialogues between Chinese feminists artists and their western counterparts with art as medium for this in-depth communication. Artists will also be a medium for the discussion of both common features and difference between Chinese feminism and Western feminism, the implication and significance of feminism, and the possibility for its growth in China.
TRANSGRESSION IN ART AND SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS AS WOMEN
Bauermeister will be the visiting feminist artist this year. As a forerunner of the Fluxus Movement, she witnessed how feminism developed prior to its second wave. With her Independent spirit and rebellious personality, she initiated an era in art. From music to installation, she tried a series of transgression activities. The Chinese artists to hold dialogues with Bauermeister come from different domains, including Fanny, a experimental musician of human voice who shows her feminist awareness by singing for aging and cellulite, and Maizi, a member of the Feminist Action, who spreads feminism by practicing what she preaches. Emi Shimizu, a Japanese women artist with strong global consciousness who has lived in China for many years, will also be present. Her unique art language will offer a different view of feminist art in Asia. Andrea Thal, a Swiss artist and curator with rich experience in feminist art will also join in by introducing the reflection and dialogues on feminism in current Europe.
Lan Jiny and Li Xinmo, who have started “Bald Girls”, will participate in an unconventional way with their transgression in art. Inspired by the “anti-art” pursuit in Fluxus Movement, this art event aims to break away with conventional exhibition patterns. It will combine the historical and international elements brought by Bauermeister, Emi Shimizu and Andrea Thal with the protests made by Feminist Action, while integrating music, poetry, painting and photography for the discussion of transgression in art. “Bald Girls: A Door” is an intersection of feminism in the global perspective and in the Chines context, across time and culture. It will be an avant-garde and contemporary platform for the exploration of feminist art. For the participation of Chinese feminism, the event will highlight in-situ, sense of space, diversity of form, departure from the norm, non-textual and experimental factors and continuity.
Transgression in art is the major thematic concern of this event that will be centered on self-consciousness as women. Therefore these works become the embodiment of women’s self-awakening. As a topic for discussion, women’s self-consciousness will add a more profound dimension. Genuine art production comes from self-consciousness. Following the awakening of self-consciousness as women, feminist art starts. Independence and autonomy are the key to women’s liberation. Therefore, women’s liberation is first the liberation of the self, the affirmation and pursuit of the self-being and its value. More importantly, the independent spirit has to be brought into artistic creation to reveal the existence of art and its significance.
From an exhibition to a concept, “Bald Girls” has become a hotbed for avant-garde feminism in China, and its website, a medium as well, has helped the feminist artists to voice their minds . It marks the debut of the independent and free avant-garde feminist art in China
“Bald Girls” values independence, believes in the power of art to intervene society and culture, advocates that feminist art should stick to its quality of being avant-guard, present, intellectual and independent. For “Bald Girls”, “the mind” is their weapon, and society, politics and culture their battlefield.
Artists: Mary Bauermeister (Germany), Fanny, Emi Shimizu (Japan), Li Xinmo, Lan Jiny, Li Maizi, Andrea Thal (Switzerland) | Feminist action
Duration: May 25 - June 16, 2013
Curator: Xu Juan
Sponsor: Zajia Lab, Bald Girls, I O Cultural Network e. V.
Co-Sponsor: Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
