Fire Within: A New Generation of Chinese Women Artists is co-organized by the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University and the Central Academy of Fine Arts Art Museum in Beijing. This exhibition is curated by Dr. Wang Chunchen, MSU Broad Adjunct Curator and Head of Curatorial Research Department at CAFAM. Support for this exhibition is provided by the Eli and Edythe Broad endowed exhibitions fund; the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China; and the China Arts and Entertainment Group.
About the Exhibition
Fire Within: A New Generation of Chinese Women Artists focuses a critical lens on the artistic production of a group of highly talented, emerging women artists from China. Collectively, the artists in this exhibition investigate a wide-range of themes and issues, including the status of women in China; cultural and gender identity; interpersonal relationships; and more broad sociopolitical dynamics, both in China and beyond. Importantly, their probing investigations stir discussion and draw attention to their diverse and varied experiences.
The generation of individuals born in China during the 1970s and after witnessed significant changes—including ideological, cultural, social, and in the domestic sphere—as a result of China’s opening up to foreign markets and international exchange. These shifts have in turn motivated artists to experiment within their own artistic practices in order to better understand the struggles and conflicts they encounter both privately and publicly. Following this line of inquiry, Fire Within brings together fresh perspectives and approaches to traditional mediums with the intent to reveal the new forms of consciousness that have emerged in recent years. Taken together, the works on display transcend gender and cultural differences, instead tapping into a more universal sense of human nature.