Qianjie Nie
MA Fine Art
"If the gaze of exploration in the classical medical era was a construct of imagination, and the disease's transformation and transfer within the body were based on imaginative invisibility, then the authoritative gaze of modern medicine shattered such invisibility. This is a 'cruel, simplifying, and unbearable' knowledge power.
Under the medical system constructed through the early male gaze, women's physiological pain was even more uncomfortably 'intruded upon,' isn't it also a kind of reflection the situation of women in contemporary society?
'Intimate areas,' 'reproduction,' 'women,' when it comes to diseases, these words should not be associated with shame.
I have tried to deconstruct my own bodily pathological data to alleviate this pressure, to reshape my treatment experience. I accept 'physiological or psychological disabilities,' and through painting and sculpture, I create a fantastical realm imagined as a female, depicting my own pathological image. She remains vibrant, warm, and abundant, as romantic as neon lights.
In the process of creating metal sculptures and installations, I also attempt to incorporate medical tools as materials (dental instruments, urethral/vaginal dilators, intrauterion devices, and so on). I can't forget how hard and cold the metal and plastic tools felt when they penetrated my body, but their purpose was benevolent—to explore the unknown and repair your damaged functions. I try to transform them into interesting natural forms, creating a complete setting along with painting and metal sculpting.
