JUAN XU "FEMME TOTALE" HAMBURG
FEMME TOTALE – WOMEN´S ROLE IN CONTEMPORARY ART IN CHINA AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE "BALD GIRLS"
In Chinese art history and in the patriarchal-artistic discourse, women were overthrown, she had no voice. China's contemporary art of women inspired by the feminist art of Western women: In the 90s of the 20th century, the Western feminist theory came for the first time to China. Since then, "Feminist Art" existed in China in the contemporary art. It differs significantly from the so-called "women's art" of the past. The contemporary feminist art in China wants the status quo to change: by allowing the traditional male artistic expression behind her and finds her own Womanly Art language. Here it is not just about the sex of artists – the female characteristics of the biological body. Tried is rather mainly the social role of women in different socio-cultural perspectives
In Chinese art history and in the patriarchal-artistic discourse, women were repressed, having no voice of their own. Women’s art in contemporary China was inspired by feminist art in the West. Western feminist theories came to China for the first time in the 1990s, and has since then formed a school called "Feminist Art" in contemporaryart in China. It differs significantly from the so-called "women's art" of the past. The contemporary feminist art in China demands for changes in the status quo by allowing traditional male artistic expression behind her and finds her own Womanly Art language. Here it is not just about the gender - female biological characteristics.
“Bald Girls" is the first Chinese art group with clearly feminist thought. It presents the concept of Genders: reflection of socio-cultural structures and critical gender awareness. "Bald Girls" challenges the conventions and are located in the contemporary art combative: proceed in China with women activists to the streets and draw attention to specific women problems, namely on their own feelings, mental activity and on the vexed situation the role of women in the social and cultural context.
“Bald Girls” is the first Chinese art group with clearly feminist thinking. It proposedthe concept of Gender: reflection of the socio-cultural structure and critical gender awareness. It challenges conventions and put itself in the midst of the polemics in contemporary art. They protest with women activists in the streets and draw attention to specific problems exclusively related to women, problems concerning their own feelings, mental activity and the vexing situation and role in the socio-culturalcontext.
Unlike the traditional "Femme Fatale" Yang Guifei (one of the "Four Beauties" in the 2000 year old Chinese history) who has influenced solely with her beauty matters of state in the Tang Dynasty, "Bald Girls" struggle for active socio-political, economic and mental changes, so "femme fatale" is replaced by "Femme Totale": a new, future-oriented form of female-oriented, self-directed thinking and action in which woman "can and but must not do everything.”
JUAN XU
In Chinese art history and in the patriarchal-artistic discourse, women were overthrown, she had no voice. China's contemporary art of women inspired by the feminist art of Western women: In the 90s of the 20th century, the Western feminist theory came for the first time to China. Since then, "Feminist Art" existed in China in the contemporary art. It differs significantly from the so-called "women's art" of the past. The contemporary feminist art in China wants the status quo to change: by allowing the traditional male artistic expression behind her and finds her own Womanly Art language. Here it is not just about the sex of artists – the female characteristics of the biological body. Tried is rather mainly the social role of women in different socio-cultural perspectives
In Chinese art history and in the patriarchal-artistic discourse, women were repressed, having no voice of their own. Women’s art in contemporary China was inspired by feminist art in the West. Western feminist theories came to China for the first time in the 1990s, and has since then formed a school called "Feminist Art" in contemporaryart in China. It differs significantly from the so-called "women's art" of the past. The contemporary feminist art in China demands for changes in the status quo by allowing traditional male artistic expression behind her and finds her own Womanly Art language. Here it is not just about the gender - female biological characteristics.
“Bald Girls" is the first Chinese art group with clearly feminist thought. It presents the concept of Genders: reflection of socio-cultural structures and critical gender awareness. "Bald Girls" challenges the conventions and are located in the contemporary art combative: proceed in China with women activists to the streets and draw attention to specific women problems, namely on their own feelings, mental activity and on the vexed situation the role of women in the social and cultural context.
“Bald Girls” is the first Chinese art group with clearly feminist thinking. It proposedthe concept of Gender: reflection of the socio-cultural structure and critical gender awareness. It challenges conventions and put itself in the midst of the polemics in contemporary art. They protest with women activists in the streets and draw attention to specific problems exclusively related to women, problems concerning their own feelings, mental activity and the vexing situation and role in the socio-culturalcontext.
Unlike the traditional "Femme Fatale" Yang Guifei (one of the "Four Beauties" in the 2000 year old Chinese history) who has influenced solely with her beauty matters of state in the Tang Dynasty, "Bald Girls" struggle for active socio-political, economic and mental changes, so "femme fatale" is replaced by "Femme Totale": a new, future-oriented form of female-oriented, self-directed thinking and action in which woman "can and but must not do everything.”
JUAN XU
