Art for every woman

Retrospective Exhibition of Installation Art

Artist: Chen Qingqing

When: Until March 18

Where : 32 Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing

Contact: 5876-0600

Bald Girls

Artists: Lan Jing, Li Xinmo, Xiao Lu

When: Until April 3

Where: Iberia Center for Contemporary Art E06, 798 Art Zone, 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang district

Contact: 5978-9530

Chinese women today speak with a stronger artistic voice than their predecessors ever did. In modern art circles, Chinese female artists are becoming increasingly influential because of their unique life experiences and creative thoughts reflected in their artworks. To commemorate International Women's Day, Metro Beijing previews some of the top Chinese female artists' exhibitions in the capital.

Thought of light and night

Light boxes, fairies, broken dolls, human organs and darkness fills half the exhibition hall at the Today Art Museum, while the other half displays vivid-colored statues, bright metal reliefs and lithe flax clothing in sharp contrast.

The installation artworks are part of an exhibition by artist Chen Qingqing. Jointly curated by Today Art Museum, Philips and Dimension Media and Communications, the exhibition features more than 100 artworks created by Chen over the past 20 years, including Black Memories, Clone Poem and Coffin.

The artworks on display reflect Chen's inspiration found in everyday life. Against a backdrop of darkness, these elements are presented in small boxes illuminated by orange or blue light, creating a warm, ethereal atmosphere.

In one display, a wooden dinosaur skeleton is positioned among the ruins of skyscrapers, while in another broken dolls hang suspended on ropes. Infant limbs are a common icon in the light box installation art section, which to Chen symbolizes the primitive impulse of humans.

"Infants are innocent. They always express their needs and emotions without pretending, so the reaching arms of infants symbolizes our original and ultimate desires as people," Chen told the Global Times.

Another important theme in Chen's works is the paradox of life and death. Symbols of man are used in her artworks to represent the fertility of Earth, while her real-life, near-death experience from an operation also serves as authentic artistic inspiration.

According to Zhu Qi, art critic and independent curator, Chen's life experiences and feminine consciousness allows her to express thoughts of life and death in her own unique way that rebels against traditional depictions.

"This demonstrates her ability to achieve a final triumph as human, a symbolic transcendence," said Zhu.