Terracotta Daughters Bring Awareness to Gender Preferences in China

108 life-sized female sculptures stand at attention in this powerful exhibit created by multi-disciplinary artist Prune Nourry. Recently exhibited at the Magda Danysz Gallery in Shanghai, the installation was created to explore the gender preferences that exist in China and to “bring awareness to women's seemingly unchangeable fates.”Drawing from a rich, Chinese culture, the artist worked in collaboration with Xi'an artisans who continue to practice ancient molding techniques similar to those used for the original Terracotta Warriors. Sculpted with great detail, each of the 108 Terracotta Daughters blend facial features from eight Chinese orphan girls.

The young clay forms are warriors in their own right, surviving in a world where they are possibly unwanted and with faces that have hauntingly familiar similarities that lack individuality. Upon entering the room, visitors are confronted with a possible result of human interventions within nature and are immediately challenged to explore ideas of artificial procreation and eugenics.


Prune Nourry's website
via [Postcards From the East]

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