Fearless & Fierce: The Female Gaze

Fearless & Fierce: The Female Gaze presents nine moving image works from the 1970s to the present day by artists and filmmakers who address the dilemma, struggle, and ever-changing situation of women in Asia. The programme opens with Fion Ng’s Geu Nu Gei and Cao Yu’s I Have, both of which satirise the stereotypes of women’s role within patriarchal societies. Nguyen Trinh Thi’s Eleven Men wittily offers a fresh perspective through the monologue of a woman who recounts eleven love stories set to found footage scenes of male characters of famous state-produced Vietnamese classics, featuring the same central actress Như Quỳnh. Mother by Tracy Moffatt weaves together scenes from films and TV dramas that describe convoluted relationships between mothers and their children throughout film history. Mako Idemitsu’s Kiyoko's Situation, Rajendra Gour’s Labour of Love — The Housewife, and Mary Stephen’s A Very Easy Death delve into the programme’s theme by contrasting the culturally defined role of mothers and the freewill of women in contemporary life. Ruby Yang’s Mirror Points and Han Ok-hee's Untitled 77-A powerfully illustrate how inner turmoil, self-awakening, and emancipation can be expressed in both the private and public spheres from a female perspective.