NOW
Dimensions: 60" * 144"
Media: Oil pastel and Acrylic on Canvas
My work embodies both intellectual and artistic defiance against historical and contemporary gender stereotypes within mainstream Asian art communities. It stands as an act of resistance to the deeply ingrained cultural values of the society.
Having lived and studied outside China for more than a decade, I have experienced firsthand the tensions between Western and Asian notions of freedom and personal expression. These cultural frictions have become central to my creative practice—especially after witnessing the censorship and erasure of my figurative artworks on Chinese social media.
My paintings directly engage with gender-specific narratives, confronting traditional Chinese representations of femininity. I apply paint with physical intensity, using brushes, palette knives, and my fingers to challenge the boundaries of convention. As these series work that I created, in which I was depicting myself in semi-nude poses and a construction worker that references traditionally “masculine” postures and social symbols. I subvert patriarchal ideas of the female body and reclaim it as a site of power and authorship.
For me, painting is both liberation and defiance. It is a space where I can articulate complex emotions and reclaim agency as an Asian woman artist. Through this body of works, I aim to expose the structural injustices facing women in Asian societies and empower others to move beyond inherited expectations—to do what they are told they “should not.” Ultimately, my goal is to foster greater understanding of Asian women’s social conditions and to expand cultural awareness of Asian identity within the United States.
Having lived and studied outside China for more than a decade, I have experienced firsthand the tensions between Western and Asian notions of freedom and personal expression. These cultural frictions have become central to my creative practice—especially after witnessing the censorship and erasure of my figurative artworks on Chinese social media.
My paintings directly engage with gender-specific narratives, confronting traditional Chinese representations of femininity. I apply paint with physical intensity, using brushes, palette knives, and my fingers to challenge the boundaries of convention. As these series work that I created, in which I was depicting myself in semi-nude poses and a construction worker that references traditionally “masculine” postures and social symbols. I subvert patriarchal ideas of the female body and reclaim it as a site of power and authorship.
For me, painting is both liberation and defiance. It is a space where I can articulate complex emotions and reclaim agency as an Asian woman artist. Through this body of works, I aim to expose the structural injustices facing women in Asian societies and empower others to move beyond inherited expectations—to do what they are told they “should not.” Ultimately, my goal is to foster greater understanding of Asian women’s social conditions and to expand cultural awareness of Asian identity within the United States.
