Invitation to the Defense of Julia Hartmann

The Examination Panel is made up of: Carolin Bohlmann (chair), Elke Krasny (supervisor), and Doris Sung (external appraiser, University of Alabama).

Abstract

This dissertation presents a history of art and exhibitions made by Chinese women spanning from the dynastic times to the present day.¹ Throughout this history, the body and the gaze have been the main sites of transgression for women artists and curators, whom I term ‘radical characters’. However, their work and experiences have largely been excluded from the global (feminist) art canons. Radical Characters: Chinese Women Making Art and Exhibitions aims to disrupt and reframe the dominant narratives of Chinese ‘women’s art’ by employing feminist approaches such as ‘unlearning’, ‘recovering’, and ‘reinserting’. In five chapters, a large number of women artists and curators are introduced, challenging stereotypical representations of womanhood and critiquing political constraints by deploying radical ways of expression through artworks and exhibitions, autonomously from Western-style feminist art practices. Furthermore, this dissertation provides a comprehensive history of all-women exhibitions in China and its diaspora for the first time. The life and career paths of individuals such as Xue Susu, Pan Yuliang, Liao Wen, Li Xinmo, and Guo Zhen are used as case studies for their respective historical epochs to establish their place in the global and Chinese art world. The unwavering skepticism towards Western feminist theories, the defiance of patriarchal, societal, and heteronormative structures as well as the manifold artistic forms of utilizing the body and the gaze to externalize this resistance, connect these 'radical characters' across the centuries both in- and outside their home country.

^{1 I use the terms 'female' and 'women' in the context of China in a binary sense, as the main sex and gender categories in all historical periods have been man and woman, unless I specify otherwise. In general, the term 'female' includes all who define themselves as such, including transsexual and non-binary persons.}

Short biography

Julia Hartmann is a freelance curator for feminist and activist art, organizing exhibition series on social movements, digitalization, and feminism. She is co-founder of SALOON Vienna, an international network for women* in the art world and Associate Curator of the VIENNA ART WEEK. www.juliahartmann.at

The thesis defense will be held in English and online via Zoom.

Zoom-Link: https://akbild-ac-at.zoom.us/j/3837117023

We are looking forward to welcoming you.