The Modernity of Nügong: The Transcultural Art Practice of Embroiderer Shen Shou

Date(s)： 2024/08/01

Time： 15:00~17:00

Venue： Archives 3rd Conference Hall

Host： Prof. Lien Ling-ling ( Research fellow and Deputy Director, IMH, AS)

Speaker：Prof. Doris Sung（Assistant Professor of Art History, The University of Alabama）

Organizer： Women and Gender History Research Group

Abstract:
Embroidery was the quintessential form of womanly work (nügong) in imperial China for centuries. This lecture focuses on Shen Shou (1874–1921), an innovative embroiderer from Suzhou who set new standards for the practice with new subject matter and techniques and helped to elevate its artistic and commercial values in the early twentieth century. Her works, which combined elements from Japanese embroidery, Western painting, and photography, were frequently shown at international expositions. Through examining her practice and her role as an educator, this lecture demonstrates how Shen endowed the traditional practice with new relevance and agency and redefined how womanly work contributed to cultural diplomacy and gender relations in the national and global spheres.

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