翔凤文化节

LECTURES by contemporary chinese FEMALE artists

xiaowei chen. Cocoon-Break

[Cocoon-Break]-The women’s power of transboundary on art languages
Xiaowei Chen discusses how to break the boundaries between traditional art and multi-dimensional art，exploring the expression of women’s power across artistic contexts. Taking the traditional form of graphics on paper as the main thread, the artist conducts an in-depth analysis of how to incorporate graphic art into soft sculpture and video art, offering her perspective on artistic expression of women’s power.

artist’s biography

Xiaowei Chen graduated from the Institute of Graphic Communication in Beijing, China. She was a guest lecturer at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She was awarded Art Olympia Prize (ART OLYMPIA 2019 international open art competition, Japan,2019), The Arte Laguna Prize (Venice, Italy, 2017), the Artadia NY Artist Residency at ISCP in Brooklyn (NY, 2011),The COOHAUS RESIDENCY ARTIST (New York, NY, 2013).Her solo exhibitions were held in The Re Institute (Millerton, NY), Maya Polsky Gallery (Chicago, IL), The Research House for Asian Art (Chicago, IL), 49B Studio Residency 2014 (Brooklyn, NY), TLGUTS Gallery (Lynn, MA), artSPACE@16 (Malden, MA), AroundSpace Gallery (Shanghai, China). Xiaowei Chen participated in group exhibitions that took place in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY), ARNOT ART MUSEUM (Elmira, NY), Nappe Arsenale and TIM Future Center (Venice), Brattleboro Museum (Brattleboro, VT), Limlip art Museum (Chungnam, Korea), Wheaton BEARD&WEIL GALLERIES (Norton, MA), (Art) Amalgamated (New York, NY), ARTGATE GALLERY (New York, NY), A.I.R Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), Silvermine Guild Arts Center (New Canaan, CT), Mills Gallery, Boston, MA.

Meng Tang. Self-alienation

“Self-alienation”, the issue of self-alienation of women in a patriarchal society is the core issue of feminism

Although with the development of productive forces the patriarchy will disappear from the material dimension of life, as a mindset (ideology, patriarchal culture) it is widespread and can hardly be eradicated. Taking her works as a starting point, Meng Tang explores this topic from the perspective of Chinese culture.

ARTIST’S BIOGRAPHY

Meng Tang was born and raised in China.  She earned her undergraduate degree at the Beijing  Film Academy, majoring in film production, with a focus on Cinematography.  She then earned  an MA in Media Art, with a focus on photography, at New York University.  In 2006, she  returned to China, to teach at the Beijing Film Academy.  In spring, 2008, she began studies at  the University of Minnesota for a Master of Fine Arts in Experimental New Media.  She received  her MFA degree two years later.  Meng Tang’s life has provided her with almost daily experiences in dealing with the cultural differences that inspire much of her work.  Her training  at NYU and the University of Minnesota released her from limitations that might have come from her traditional art training and experience.  She now works in many different media – including film, video installation, photography, sculpture, and performance art.  For each project, she selects the medium with which she can most clearly express her concept.  Drawing upon her own life and cultural experience, Meng currently creates works primarily on the topics of communication and gender.  Meng Tang has exhibited her works nationally and internationally. Her works have been collected by Korean Cultural Center in Beijing, and by many private collectors in the US and China.  She has curated five art shows,  published one translated book, four catalogues, and many articles. 

XIAOJIE ZHENG. RECONCILIATION

“Reconciliation”, feminist art in search of harmony in the grip of life

Taking her artworks as a starting point, the artist Xiaojie Zheng tells about her creative path, on which she balances between different cultures and life modes imposed by her many roles of a woman, an artist, a mother, a daughter, an Asian in the USA. The artist shows how through her participatory works such as “Wishing tree” she encourages the public to use self-awareness, self-control, and detachment to develop an attitude of patience and love and eventually find inner peace.  

ARTIST’S BIOGRAPHY

Xiaojie Zheng was born and grew up in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Since 1998, she has been living and working in Europe and the USA, now living in Los-Angeles. Xiaojie Zheng has studied art in China, got a degree in the Netherlands and took a course on gallery business in the USA. For the past twenty-five years she dedicated herself to art and culture; along with producing her own works, she has been working as an educator, curator, publisher, international art consultant and was engaged in cross-field partnerships in Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. The inspiration for Xiaojie Zheng’s works and partnerships comes from her experience of living on three continents. Xiaojie Zheng works with painting, multimedia art, on-site installation, and interactive art, combining music, poetry, literature, psychology, and behavioral medicine dealing with aspects of trauma, healing and recovery. She is especially interested in the influence of moral justice, family law, and various social organisations on the physical and mental health of juniors in families that go through divorce. She supports the ideas of interconnection of art and life, harmony between art and human nature, and art as a driver of social development.  

ZHEN GUO. AWAKENING

“Awakening”, an existence impossible to deny

Zhen Guo is an artist living between Eastern and Western cultures. Referencing to her life experience and artistic practice, Zhen Guo tells about the formation and sources of the individuality of feminist art.

Zhen Guo is a Chinese-American artist and curator. Zhen Guo was born in China, Shandong province, she graduated from Shandong Art School in 1976 and from the China Academy of Art 1982. She studied at San Francisco Art College in 1986 and was a visiting scholar at the School of Art of York University, Canada in 1987. She established the Zhen Guo Art Studio in New York in 1988. She is a member of North American Artists Association, Artist Association of China, a visiting professor in many art universities. Guo was one of the earliest explorers of Chinese ink painting after the reform of China and and an Asian American contemporary female ink art pioneer. Guo is committed to the research and exploration of international contemporary women's art. She organized the “Existence” International Women's Art Exhibition, Changsha, China, the “Please Touch: Body Boundaries” exhibition at the Mana Contemporary of Art in the United States, and South Korea’s Jeonbuk Museum of Art “Asian Women Artists” exhibition.