A study of the self-construction of Chinese women artists and the influence it brings to their everyday life experience in the social and cultural context of Hong Kong

Abstract

The Chinese women artists in Hong Kong grow up from a mixed culture comprising the patriarchal familism of traditional Chinese culture and the culture of individualism brought by the modern western culture. Women artists in Hong Kong are therefore always in the struggles and confusions of finding their own identities or recognizing their positions between these two different cultures and perceptions of the world. The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of the self-construction of Chinese women artist in Hong Kong from a social science perspective. Particular attentions will be paid to the impact and struggles that the construction of selfhood brings to women artists' everyday life and artistic practice. Two main theories are adopted to constitute a theoretical framework for this empirical research. The first main theory is Charles Taylor's hermeneutic theory. It is hoped that Taylor's conception of modern western selfhood and western artist will throw light on my understanding of the authentic selfhood of Hong Kong Chinese women artist and on the relation between artistic expression and women artists' self-discovery. The second main one is Francis Hsu's father-son dyad dominated kinship relationship. Hsu's theory will help us to study the way the relationship network of Chinese familism and its gender ideology play the significant part in constituting the selfhood of Chinese women artists of Hong Kong.