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At the end of 2018, one of the ten votes requested from the Taiwanese people concerned about the inclusion of gender theory into the constitution and education programs. The work of the three women artists chosen this year for Focus Taiwan in Arles reflects this question.

Isa Ho, raised conservatively in the heritage of the image of women highlighted in traditional Chinese opera, now sees young women unleashing themselves in K-Pop, a global phenomenon. Her video work immediately raises the question of the artist’s identity of the body and is widely read for her generation, torn between these two images of women that everything seems to separate, and yet…

Hou I-Ting comes back to the history of the gender gap that appeared in schools and then in clothing factories. When the Japanese colonized Taiwan, they established separate schools for boys and girls. Girls who were educated to sew were employed later in clothing workshops. Through an exhibition combining archival photography and needlework, the artist tries to bring together the two stories, education, and industry, that made the glory days of the Taiwanese economy.

Chia Huang, however, demonstrates by her freedom that no matter the imposed laws and social frames, there will always be a marginal part of the population ‘wandering’ outside of the traditional boundaries and that no matter the gender, creativity, and freedom will be seeking limits and margins. The exhibition ”Errances” brings together four series created by this very young photographer and is a must see!