Zheng Fu (b.1995) completed his BA at the Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University, and furthered his studies at the Royal College of Art with an MA.
Zheng bases in Shanghai and London. He works across sculpture, photography, installation.
Zheng Fu
In recent years, with the improvement of women's social status, female scholars in different fields of humanities and social sciences naturally have to examine their own situation first. Therefore, throughout the 20th century, there have been more and more studies on women, including their historical status and current situation.
But in China, there are very few studies on men, and Western studies on Chinese men are also completely missing, and there are no works that make a systematic theoretical construction of Chinese masculinity.
As early as many years ago, Edward said in "Orientalism" that since the feminization of the Orient has reached the level of "invasion, silence, and possession", general theoretical research is particularly important. So I would ask, what is Chinese masculinity like?
Silence –
It discusses the threat of power to individuals.
Castration is a unique invention of human civilization , making them lose their sexual function by removing the testicles, turning them into living machines that lose their desire to live.
I realize that traditional concepts of masculinity often intertwine with power and privilege , which may allow harmful gender norms and inequalities to persist .
Medium:
Arrow, Chastity LockSize:
50 x 60 x 10 CMWarning: This section contains mature or explicit content.
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Toxic –
I am not gay, but I am open-minded. I turn the camera on myself, where in the photos I am half-naked, or posing in provocative and vulnerable positions.
The softness of men is often seen as a "sissy" display by their peers, leading to them being kicked out of the value recognition of the male group. This seems to be a dilemma that Asian men face in the world.
Recombine –
I further process these photos with mosaics, which I consider to be a dissipation of masculinity.
This provides more possibilities for me to study the vulnerability , sense of belonging, and identity of modern Asian males from different perspectives.
Medium:
PhotoSize:
Dimensions variable
Jenga –
Looking back at my childhood, the family was always dominated by my father in terms of party activities and games, which had a great influence on me.
So the games of my childhood became the inspiration for my work. Jenga is a game full of crises, which I have recovered through blocks inscribed with symbols of the Asian male body.
The Jenga game can actually be a powerful metaphor for exploring and deconstructing the influence of patriarchal culture on Asian masculinity.