Wang's family

In the clutches of a patriarchal society, the objectification of women is an unspoken yet prevalent reality. I aim to shed light on an unsettling paradigm in China where women, facilitated by the custom of bride price, are transitioned from their birth families to matrimonial homes, echoing a transactional undertone. This silent agreement permits many men to nurture the illusion of ownership over women, where a woman's identity and consciousness are overshadowed, her worth evaluated solely on the attainment of a ‘suitable’ husband.

To encapsulate this narrative, my artwork introduces two distinct characters - Wang's Wife, a visible embodiment of subdued female identity, and Wang, an unseen yet omnipresent male figure. Through their interaction, or lack thereof, I endeavor to unveil a scenario where the objectification of women is not just tolerated but normalized. In this societal construct, men, empowered by the tradition of bride price, assume entitlement to a multifaceted asset - a bearer of offspring, a devoted caretaker, and a silent, aesthetic complement.

Wang’s omnipresence without visibility mirrors the looming yet often unacknowledged influence of patriarchal norms. Wang’s Wife stands as a testament to the suppressed identities of countless women, their existence echoing a silent symphony of submission, their voices muted, and identities intertwined in the shadows of matrimonial titles.

In the silent dance between visibility and invisibility, expression and suppression, my work seeks to prompt a profound introspection, beckoning society to confront and question the entrenched norms that continue to shape, and at times, undermine female identity in the modern era.