Yu Wang is a multidisciplinary artist and graphic designer who works with various mediums in her graphic and installation work.
During her studies at the RCA, she was keen to explore different visual forms and wanted to connect her work with the audience through visual creation.
In my current practice, I focus on feminism regarding social structures. At the same time, I hope to redistribute the discourse and fight for the voices of vulnerable groups.
I explore the long and complex relationship between women and social ideologies dominated by patriarchy. My research focuses on the connections between women and contemporary women in different historical and cultural contexts, expanding and reconfiguring feminist consciousness, renewing feminist ideologies and breaking down our existing limitations.
In the Chinese judicial system, with certain instances of rape, the law fails to recognize the sexual violence endured by women due to the fact that some women experience it in a way that renders them rigid and incapable of screaming for help. Consequently, many judges have deemed such rapes as consensual. This was notably the case with the 'comfort women' , whom the Japanese army claimed did it to earn money in consensual sex.
I attempted to redesign the female reproductive organs by fusing the female pelvis/ uterus with the sexual organs of the black widow spider. This would enable the female reproductive organs to autonomously decide whether or not to engage in sexual activity. Indicating their autonomy in sexual decision-making. Hence, by merging the genitalia of a female black widow spider with that of a human female, I created a novel organ with self-governance. In the event of rape, for instance, the new genitalia can release toxins to safeguard themselves from harm, with the amount of toxin being proportional to the level of attack suffered by the woman.
Through speculative design, the visual representation of the sexual organs encourages viewers to reconsider the way women are denied a voice in situations of sexual violence. The design of this new organ expands not only on the female reproductive functions but also reflects the societal need for development in women’s rights. Failure to address these issues will lead to future problems in the moral, economic, and political aspects of society.
Eventually, the process of merging women with spiders is documented in a novel that portrays the experiences of sexual violence survivors in a manner that is more palatable for readers. Simultaneously, I aspire that this novel will empower women.
In the form of illustrations and pictures, I visualize the sexual violence and the spiritual resistance of the 'comfort women' in the 'comfort stations' in Korea and China.
The purpose of transforming these graphics into a sculptural installation is to communicate the struggles and suffering of the comfort women and their spirit of resistance. My sculpture chair is the primary visual element of the installation, derived from the experience of the 'comfort women' being examined and tortured in the chairs of the 'comfort stations.'
