Sexual harassment victims in China given a voice by exhibition that plays audio of their stories
- Exhibits at the Beijing show include victims’ drawings of abusers, petitions asking the men to turn themselves in, and women’s audio stories about attacks
- Her Story – Eliminating Gender Violence 2020 opened on International Day For the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Inside a darkened room in Beijing, a large photograph of a man’s face peers out from a white background. The room is filled with the sound of monologues recorded by victims of sexual harassment, playing on a loop from speakers arranged on the floor of the exhibition gallery. A giant mosaic of the English word “Resist” can be seen in one corner.
This is an exhibition called “Her Story – Eliminating Gender Violence 2020”, opened by feminist activists in Beijing on November 25, The International Day For the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It continues at the Beijing France Cultural Centre until December 1.
One of the curators, who only wants to be referred to as Jing, says exhibitions about sexual abuse and violence against women are not welcomed by the authorities in China. An earlier version of this project, called #MeToo, was shown in five locations last year. When it reached Guangzhou, in southern China, the exhibition was shut down after a day and a half. In Chengdu, southwest China, the police showed up after a week and confiscated all the installations.
China‘s #MeToo movement began in early 2018, when Luo Xixi, a Beihang University graduate, publicised allegations of sexual harassment against her former professor Chen Xiaowu. Afterwards, other Chinese women spoke out about sexual misconduct by men in positions of power.
The movement has spread beyond campuses, to media, NGOs, business and other areas. In 2019, reports of such cases dropped off and many started wondering whether the movement still had momentum, Jing said. At that time, activists collected stories from victims, and wondered if they could do an exhibition.