Team member Yuning Teng gave a lecture, “Not to Be Forgotten: Women Artists’ Persistence and Creativity in China”, at “China As-A-Method Salon”, Maison SHESIETY, München.

The talk focuses on the practices of female Chinese artists as they confront real-life challenges, highlighting their sense of social responsibility and their inventive strategies. Their artistic activism, particularly under intense political control, demonstrates alternative, flexible, and effective methods for addressing shared concerns, sustaining historical memory, and inspiring critical reflection. This topic shows how grassroots wisdom has long been a vital force for social progress, especially in times of complex political change.

Through the lens of these artists’ lives and creative experiences, the talk explores why China’s situation and people’s responses can serve as a reference for reflecting on global realities. It also emphasizes why alternative perspectives beyond official sources are necessary, and how narratives created by Chinese female artists can embody the “China as Method” approach. Their works touch on pressing historical and contemporary issues, including social inequality, suppression of free expression, and the erasure of historical memory.

Among these examples, a special case study will focus on Wen Hui, an influential Chinese choreographer and dancer known for her pioneering work combining dance, documentary, and social engagement. Her performances address sensitive and underrepresented social issues in China, exploring memory and the relationship between body and society. She received the Goethe Medal in 2021 and has created several new works during her residency in Germany, including “I’m 60”, a work deeply rooted in her own life experience.