Special exhibit tells story of Taiwan's gender literature
特展陳述台灣性別文學的故事
| National Museum of Taiwan Literature's 'Reading Sexualities' exhibit kicked off April 1
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — "Reading Sexualities" is the new exhibit unveiled on April 1 at the National Museum of Taiwan Literature (NMTL) that features a collection of literary works on the subject of gender in Taiwan. The showcase, which will last until February 2022, aims to convey the ideas of being true to one's self and being free to love. Cross-dressing symbolizes the progressive rebellion against gender norms, freeing people from stereotypes, according to NMTL. Organized in chronological order, the exhibit is divided into five sections, telling the history of Taiwanese gender literature. The first part highlights the literary works written during the 1900s, most of which portrayed females as ghosts. Female writers at that time believed that supernatural powers could challenge the patriarchy. In the second part, which covered the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945), freedom to love was illustrated through poems and songs. The third part, titled, "Gender Consciousness in Bud" presents literature in the 1960s and 70s, which focused on sexual desires, homosexuality, and the new feminism movement. As for the last two parts, literary works of the 1990s and the 2000s were displayed to illustrate the progress of gender equality and to highlight the times when literature contributed to noticeable gender advancements. According to the exhibit introduction, all featured literary works reflect and connect to issues in Taiwanese society. People nowadays feel free to create and that is why Taiwan yields an abundant amount of literature, the exhibit curator stated. Many people are curious about how Taiwan developed its own gender studies, said Chi Ta-wei (紀大偉), associate professor at National Chengchi University's Graduate Institute of Taiwanese literature. |
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| Wendy Wu, Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2021-04-07 |
