Feminist aesthetics: Representing women in contemporary Chinese art

This writing accompanies Su Yang’s practice as research work, consisting of a series of paintings exploring questions of beauty and cosmetic surgery amongst Chinese women. Her research aims to investigate the influences on representation of women in contemporary Chinese art from feminist perspectives. Her Ph.D. study focuses specifically on the representation of the female form, how it reflects changing notions of beauty and how the achievement of ideal beauty, through forms of unnecessary harmful nontherapeutic cosmetic surgery is achieved. Her wider research also includes a study as to the nature and impact of feminist art in contemporary Chinese art.