Poster by Li Xinmo
Bald Girls – Timelag 2014
In order to avoid becoming single mothers, many are forced to maintain “asexual marriages”; some even enter into sham marriages to prevent their “fatherless” children from becoming “illegal minors.” These scenarios are not the result of literary embellishment or cinematic fabrication—they are real stories that have unfolded in 21st-century China.
The issue of caring for single mothers as a vulnerable group is a matter of universal human concern. Over the past 40 years, as the proportion of single mothers has steadily increased worldwide, there has been growing international attention and a general consensus on the need to protect the rights of single mothers.
Against this backdrop, the Bonn Women’s Museum in Germany will host an exhibition entitled “Single Mom” from April 13 to November 11, 2014, comprehensively presenting the evolution of the “single mother” phenomenon over the past 100 years.
The exhibition is divided into two main sections:
- Historical Documentation
This section utilizes a wealth of archival materials to depict the image and status of single mothers over time. It traces the transformation from the Middle Ages through the 18th and 19th centuries to the present day, including the artistic works of several renowned German single mother artists from the 19th and 20th centuries and the social prejudices they faced. - Contemporary Artistic Expression
In this section, artists from Germany and around the world present their contemporary reflections and artistic expressions concerning single mothers. They argue that the discrimination against single mothers stems from a broader prejudice against women—a problem not confined to China but prevalent worldwide. The manifestations of this issue may vary in degree and form across different countries and historical contexts, reflecting diverse cultural backgrounds.
At the invitation of the Bonn Women’s Museum, “Bald Girls — Timelag” serves as an independent international segment within the “Single Mothers” theme, engaging in a dialogue that transcends time and borders with German artists.
After more than a century of struggle and effort, single mothers in Germany have gradually shed the label of “others” and have gained social recognition and legal protection, achieving a relatively equal and autonomous way of life. However, today, the status and rights of single mothers in China still lag far behind those in Germany—a gap that can be seen as a significant “time lag/ difference.”
Bald Girls is committed to bridging this “time difference,” aiming to help 21st-century Chinese society align with global perspectives. In an era of rapidly evolving information and ideas, every Chinese woman should have the freedom to choose her own way of life—whether that means entering into marriage, pursuing love, becoming a single mother, remaining single for life, or remarrying after a divorce—without compromise.
From left: Jiny Lan, Marianne Pitzen, Jiny Lan, Xiao Lu, Li Xinmo.
Bald Girls: Timelag 2014
Curator: Juan Xu
Artists: Xiao Lu, Jiny Lan, Li Xinmo
Exhibition Dates: April 13, 2014 – November 11, 2014
(A live performance by the artists will take place on April 13 at 2:00 PM)
Location: Bonn Women’s Museum, Germany
Organized by: Bonn Women’s Museum, Bald-headed Gohu
Co-organized by: I O Cultural Netzwerk e. V.
Li Xinmo performance
Xiao Lu work
Jiny Lan’s Work “Who Are Your Ancestors?”
The Inheritance of the Family Bloodline: A Chinese “Religion”
For the Chinese, the perpetuation of the family bloodline is almost a sacred duty. In traditional Chinese thought, it is exclusively the responsibility of the male members of the family to carry on the lineage. However, following the implementation of family planning policies, persistent occurrences of selective abortion, infanticide, and infant abandonment have led to a severe gender imbalance in China. With future advances in medical technology making sex selection even easier, this man-made imbalance is likely to worsen further. In response to these pressing issues, Jiny Lan has created a series of artworks that not only expose the absurdity of the belief that only males can continue the family bloodline but also offer constructive suggestions to the Chinese government.
In this piece, Jiny Lan reimagines a monumental self-painted portrait of a nude Confucius. He transforms the traditionally depicted male genitalia into female genitalia and inserts a colossal tube into the figure’s reproductive organ. From this tube, 80 lifelike infants cascade out one after another. Each infant’s head is stamped in red with the sequential names of Confucius’s “legitimate heirs,” while their chests and backs bear the corresponding generational designations.
This work challenges the reliability of defining “ancestors” and “descendants” solely on the basis of male bloodlines, using biting irony to expose the absurdity of the notion that only males can continue the lineage.
