TITLE:
Reconfiguring the Female Body in Contemporary Iranian and Chinese Art: A Comparative Study
AUTHORS:
Paria Karami, Jeremy Morgan
KEYWORDS:
Feminist Art, Iranian Women Artists, Chinese Women Artists, Gender Performativity, Body Politics
JOURNAL NAME:
Art and Design Review,
Vol.14 No.2,
April
21,
2026
ABSTRACT: This paper explores how contemporary Iranian and Chinese women artists recontextualize the female body in response to distinct socio-political pressures and cultural constraints. Using feminist aesthetics to challenge patriarchal norms, the paper compares the strategies employed by Iranian artists Shirin Neshat, Parastou Forouhar, and Shadi Ghadirian, and Chinese artists Cao Fei, Yin Xiuzhen, and Yu Hong. The study critically examines the cultural and historical differences between post-revolutionary Iran and post-reform China, and how these artists negotiate censorship, gender performativity, and body politics within their distinct socio-political contexts. Drawing on feminist theory, including Judith Butler, Laura Mulvey, Kimberlé Crenshaw, bell hooks, and Rosi Braidotti, this paper analyzes how these artists employ diverse strategies in photography, video installations, digital art, and sculpture to engage with themes of tradition, modernity, memory, and identity. By highlighting both the shared and distinct challenges these artists face, the paper provides a nuanced understanding of how feminist art interacts with the specific socio-political landscapes in which it is created.