Summer Studio: An exploration of the manifestations of Fujoshilism

Chudan Peng is an emerging queer-feminist artist with a cross-cultural background, promoting the female body’s queered politics, rebelling against Chinese patriarchal oppression, and conveying the yearning for intimacy and love. This project calls for feminist queer pride based on the Asian gay anime subculture and advertises a neologism - 'Fujoshilism.'

Blurring the lines between the creation, installation and exhibition process, for Blindside’s Summer Studio Residency Program recent graduates use the gallery as a working studio and conclude with a brief open studio.

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A Letter From Fujoshi

Hello warm stranger,

Hope you have a brilliant day:)

My name is Chudan Peng. I am 26 years old, a Scorpio.

I am a Fujoshi, which is a derogatory term reclaimed, like Queer. Fujoshi literally means 'rotten girl' and refers to female fans who nut a literature genre (typically called Yaoi) of narrating romantic relationships between men. Yaoi includes manga, anime, novels, video games, fanworks, etc., and it was originated in Japan and flourishing in Asia.

The trait of inferiority complex and sentimentality are similarities of most Fujoshi. We are weak in running an evenly matched relationship. Consequently, we are pinning the longing of ideal love on Yaoi. The formation of Fujoshi is caused by a more severe patriarchal ideology and social clock in Asia and the issue rooted in history, which influences Chinese education, culture and leads to female's low self-esteem.

Under the social environment in patriarchal ideology, Asian mass media has produced plenty of media works based on Yaoi to respond to Fujoshi’s appeal to ideal relationships these years, such as 'The Untamed' which is popular with 65% Asian female audience.

The media works focus on platonic and devoted love between men and the male characters' excellent personal qualities with romantic heroism, especially female-respectful, gentle, judicial, indefatigable. These plots satisfy female fantasies about men and love.

I am dedicated to create empathetic works for Fujoshi and promote a feminist slogan - Fujoshilism through contemporary art.

I am committed to encouraging Fujoshi to give an insight into ourselves by Yaoi to overcome inferiority and confidently and courageously to pursue love and achieve women's liberation in mental.

Thank you for listening.

All the best wishes to you,

Chudan Peng

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A Fairytale To Fujoshi

Sunny, Wednesday, January 6th, 2021

Nice to meet you, a lovely little girl.

I understand:

You feel everyone on the street looked happy, but they also have worries you don't know.

You thought you are the loneliest of people, and you're always looking for something beautiful to fill your expectations.

You are anxious for a favour and worried lest one should lose it.

You are easy to get lost by keeping a close relationship with others.

You are not good at words, you are a trouble maker, and your scar is countless.

You always reprove yourself, but you are still optimistic about life.

You wish someone who can understand your melancholy and bring you warmth.

You see the world as either black or white.

You are thinking about if you start over, is there the same track.

Sometimes you feel to be drowned nearly.

You can save others, but you don't know how to protect yourself.

You believe in fate and love is a permanent disappearance.

I gaze at you:

I want to hold you firmly in my arms.

I will remember your being, your disappearance, your freedom, your having.

I see your tender heart.

Someone uses happiness in childhood to enrich life. We use the rest of our life to fill our childhood vacancy.

Don't be afraid, and we can find the way for sure.

Your best friend in forever,

Chudan Peng

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腐女童话

二零二一年，一月六日，星期三，晴天。

你好，天真烂漫小女孩，很高兴认识你。

我理解：

街上的人看起来好像都很幸福，

但他们也有你看不见的烦恼。

你感觉自己是最孤独的存在

一生都在寻找美好来填补你的期待。

你总是患得患失，不擅长与人亲密相处。

你不善言辞，横冲直撞，总一昧地自责，也保持着你的乐观直率。

你期盼有人理解你的多愁善感，教会你爱，体会温暖。

你的眼中的世界矛盾而非黑即白。

你总在思考能否重来，有或没有如果，来过或没有到来。

我凝望着你：

你时常感觉自己将被淹没，

你救得了别人，却救不了自己。

你相信命运，相信爱是永久消失的存在。

我会抱紧你，

用力地抱紧。

记得你的存在，记得你的消失，记得你的自由，记得你的拥有。

我穿透你的身体看见你柔软的心脏，听见我的声音。

有的人用童年治愈一生，而我们用一生治愈童年。

但不要害怕，向前走，一定能找到方向。

你永远的好朋友，

彭楚丹