Situated Feminisms: Rethinking Art, Gender, and History in China

This panel invites reflection on the possibility of a situated feminist grammar in the context of Chinese art. While such a grammar has not yet been fully articulated, it may be emerging through historical, cultural, and artistic conditions specific to China. We ask how feminist perspectives can be shaped by, and responsive to, the country’s intellectual traditions, political histories, and artistic developments.

Building on last year’s session on women’s contributions to Chinese art history, this panel turns attention to conceptual and methodological questions concerning the intersections of gender, power, and historiography in both the making and interpretation of Chinese art. Of particular interest are the ways feminist approaches engage with the structural foundations of Chinese art historiography, and the strategies used by artists and scholars to question or reframe dominant narratives across various media and practices.

We welcome contributions that explore these concerns through case studies, theoretical inquiry, or historiographical analysis. This panel opens a space for dialogue on how feminist thinking may complicate, revise, or enrich the ways we understand Chinese art history—past and present.

This session will consist of four individual presentations, each lasting 20 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A per speaker. A final open discussion may be included if time permits.

Submit your Paper via this form. Please download, complete and send it directly to the Session Convenor(s) below by Sunday 2 November 2025:

Xue Li, Edith Cowan University/Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, xueliarts@gmail.com