Feminine

This work addresses the constraint and limitation placed on women in Chinese society and the inescapable grip of social expectations and traditions. After photographing the digital images in the studio, I extend the work to appear as a traditional Chinese belle painting which depicts the beauty of women by issuing busted color, delicate brushwork, and elegant composition. In Chinese tradition, a stereotype of an ideal woman is that of a dependent being governed by males and the “three obedience and four virtues” as outlined in the book called Lessons for Women. The education for women meant inculcating these rules. In my work, I have hand-drawn the calligraphy from the Lessons for Women into the body of Chinese belle paintings and had it photographed, digitally combined and enhanced to form a meticulously structured tableau.

I-Lun Huang is a 1993-born Taiwanese digital artist/Photographer. She started her MFA program in Photography at Purdue University and expected to graduate in May 2019. As a Master of Fine Art photography graduate student at Purdue University, I-Lun has been focusing on the concept of personal identity, contemporary feminism, and culture using digital photography and processes, performance and graphic design.