The Vagina Monologues in London was organized by Jiemei in association with Queer Asia.
During the event Fan Popo’s 2013 short documentary was shown which explores how ‘The Vagina Monologues’ (1996), the iconic yet controversial play by Eve Ensler, has become an empowering tool for feminist and women’s groups all over China.
The first theatrical performance in the PRC was translated and directed by Professor Ai Xiaoming of Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou) in 2003; since then enactments of ‘The Vagina Monologues’ (in Chinese lit. ‘from the vagina’), at times banned and partly censored, have taken over university campuses, theatres, cafes, villages, streets and public transport.
The screening was followed by a Q&A with an activist and performance artist who took part in ‘For Vaginas’ Sake’- one of the three groups which were featured in the documentary.
The artist is living and working in London. Prior moving to the UK, she was involved in feminist and LGBTQ activism in China, worked closely with local queer communities in Guangzhou and contributed as actor, co-playwright and sound designer in the production of ‘For Vaginas’ Sake’.
Jiemei (the Chinese for ‘sisters’) is a group of feminist activists / artists / academics / curators from around the world. They work together to open up a creative, positive and inclusive platform to encourage a trans-cultural dialogue on feminist activism and art. They are currently working on collaborative projects with Queer Asia, members from China’s “Feminist Five”, feminist art collective Bald Girls and other Chinese artists and activists.