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| From Gender Role to Physical Situation: Interpreting the Image of “Mother” in Contemporary Chinese Feminist Art |
| Bai Shan |
| School of Humanities, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China |
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Abstract The social and cultural construction of “motherhood” extends beyond the transformation based on women’s reproductive capabilities. It also positions mothers as “sacrificial figures”, placing them in the role of objects and subjecting them to both the praise and neglect of civilized discourse. “Maternal love” and “maternity” are not merely life instincts but constitute the authentic situation of every living mother. Contemporary Chinese feminist artists do not dwell on the hardships of these situations; instead, they actively seek out unique and living mother through specific artistic endeavors, thereby presenting the real images of mother. Specifically, contemporary Chinese feminist art revisits the origins of the maternal image, particularly in the pregnancy activities. Here, the phenomenon of pregnancy for mothers is not portrayed as the ease and beauty often depicted in mainstream media. Instead, feminist artists, through their own experiences of pregnancy, directly confront every pain, depression, fear, and excitement, thus confirming their current selves amidst the uncertainties of self-alter. Simultaneously, the spatial schema of mother is also reversed in the individual experiences of feminist artists. Mothers are not rootless “wanderers”, instead, they enjoy the movement in their own space, emphasizing the rich connotations of “mother as the space”. In fact, the societal role of motherhood not only constrains maternal creativity but also results in long-standing deficits in mother-daughter relationships. Unable to uncover the inter-subjectivity relationship between mother and daughter through conventional modes of discourse, contemporary Chinese feminist artists turn to their own bodily postures and movements to render these relationships intelligible. It is precisely in the unreserved confrontation of flesh with flesh that they can finally embrace the sexualized bodies of each other, empathize with one another, listen to each other’s narratives, and perceive each other’s essence, and present diverse and distinct images of mother in a liberated practice.This research attempts to reconcile feminist conceptual themes with artistic phenomena. To achieve this, it primarily employs relevant feminist concepts and definitions to reorganize, analyze, and evaluate contemporary Chinese feminist art. While grounded in this theoretical framework, this researches also incorporates the method of iconography to bridge the visible and invisible, so as to delve into the nuanced connotations of the image of mother in feminist art. Additionally, it draws upon theories such as existentialism, phenomenology, semiotics, and cultural studies to broaden the multifaceted dimensions of the maternal image and to explore the possibilities of theoretical boundaries with concrete life experiences and artistic phenomena.The study of contemporary Chinese feminist art is still in its nascent stages within the academia. Breaking away from traditional societal gender roles and binary discourses, and interpreting art from a feminist perspective represent an entirely new field of inquiry. In terms of frequency, while there are articles and publications focusing on the portrayal of the image of mother, discussions often revolve around artworks created by male artists or remain superficial, merely touching upon the meaning of “maternal love” without delving into the invisible significance and connotations of these works. Therefore, both academically and methodologically, this research stands at the forefront of exploratory research. By expanding the scope of feminist art analysis and deepening the theoretical dimensions of Chinese feminist art criticism, this research also signifies a pioneering effort in this field.
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Received: 24 April 2024
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2024, Vol. 54 
