This exhibition is entitled as “self-Image” to summarize and demonstrate Chinese woman art in the 20th century. For the time limit, the works are restricted within the first generation of modern woman artists grown up in 1920s and those grown up in the 21st Century, the time span covers nearly a century. “Self-Image” means both true self-image depicting the artist in the narrow sense, and paintings, sculptures and some combined works of the artists’ images but delivering her own expression and narration. Here the “self Image” is rather referring to the nature of the work, but not emphasizing the type of the Image, i.e. the meaning and method of self-analysis, self-sculpting and self-identification. To some extent, the way of expression of self-Image forms a kind of fundamental style of woman art of the 20th century in China, which accompanies the whole process of Chinese woman art’ development from birth to maturity, to the change of self identity, as well as to the upgrade of media and subject. To review the almost a hundred year of development of Chinese woman art of the 20th century from “self-Image” is a perfect perspective to outline the whole process and to effectively touch with the nature of woman art. Therefore, the exhibition focuses on “self-Image” to explain, demonstrate and describe the whole woman artists’ experience in the 20th century. And the exhibited works focus on Images, sculptures and combined artistic styles depicting woman artists’ images. In addition, the said “woman art” particularly means woman artists’ self representations, which emphasize woman as the main subject to deliver self image and self existence. They are not necessarily critical narration, but emotional narration full of self experience of life instead.

The self-centered, self-love and biographical nature of “self-Image” is somewhat naturally identical with Chinese women’s personality psychology developed in the long history and natural life. In 1920s, the first generation of woman artists who had received formal artistic education have grown up, they unexceptionally demonstrated their genius and enthusiasm in portrait, especially self-portrait. On the first national art exhibition held by the National Government in April 1929, woman artists’ overall strength and favor in Image and self-portrait attracted people’s concern. Later on, self-portrait/sculpture became and remains the favorite form of woman artists, as well as exists as their important way of expression. Even in the period from 1950 to 1970 when the “individualism” was completely uprooted, their own images were still hidden behind various woman images. Since 1978 when the reform and opening up policy was adopted, the artistic form secretly revitalized, rapidly developed and greatly diversified…In the 100 years to the 20th century, Chinese woman art experienced great progresses with each passing day, but what remains unchanged is woman artists’ works always contains the nature and taste of self Image more or less. It should be attributed not only to the historic experience of woman in the past century, from self-awakening, self-recognition, self-establishment and self-development, but also to the psychological characteristics featuring tenderness and self-restraint. They depict and identify woman existence not only via content but also via form.

This exhibition provides some of woman artists’ portraits by different period and different type, and supplements with some background information and historical records, so as to demonstrate Chinese woman artists’ self-depiction, and reveal the complex relationship between “individual” and “time” behind those images.