Chufan Cao
Empathy in Resistance: Women, Plants, and Ecofeminism in Art Practices
Summary
Starting from the observation of a flower vending machine in a metro station, this project explores the intersections of ecofeminism, plant studies, and artistic practice, examining how the commodification and objectification of plants reflect patriarchal control over both nature and women. Grounded in my personal experiences and family context, it critiques the idealisation of certain plants—such as roses as symbols of beauty, fragility, and submission—while marginalising others, drawing parallels between botanical classification and the societal roles imposed on women.
Through autobiographical engagement with undervalued yet essential plants like potatoes, the work reflects on the erasure of women’s labour under gendered expectations. The practice component comprises sculptural and interactive installations, often incorporating ceramics, metal, and organic matter, bringing materials into playful yet unsettling juxtapositions to evoke uncanny affective responses. By employing empathy as a research method, my work fosters public dialogue on gendered ecological relationships, creating spaces for resistance, reimagination, and healing.
Additional info
In today’s global flower industry, the rose is more than just a symbol of love and beauty—it is a commodity that reflects patriarchal societal norms. This commodification mirrors the objectification of both women and nature. It reduces women to decorative objects while ignoring the labor and resilience that sustain them, whether in the home or in the fields. While feminist theorists like Sandra Bartky (1990) critique how femininity is disciplined into docility, decorative, and visually pleasing, my artistic practice seeks to disrupt these narratives by reimagining plants—and by extension, women—as agents of resilience and strength.
Through the material interventions, I seek to create what I call "new dialogues"—conversations between different forms of plant life, between organic and industrial materials, and between traditional and reimagined representations of femininity. These works do not merely critique inherited narratives; they offer alternative ways of seeing, feeling, and relating. By juxtaposing organic and industrial materials—garlic, onions, ornamental flowers, rusted metal—I reconfigure value systems that traditionally privilege beauty, softness, and silence. These hybrid compositions symbolically elevate the overlooked, the domestic, and the discarded, insisting that femininity cannot be captured through romantic metaphors alone.
Mushroom, Ceramic Sculpture. 2025
The Root Remember, Ceramic Sculpture. 2025
She Came Through the Onion, Mixed Media Installation. 2025
The Potato Head, Mixed Media Installation. 2025
I was curious—what happens when you try to balance a flower with metal? Flowers are soft, fragile, and often seen as symbols of femininity. Metal is heavy, sharp, industrial — it’s usually associated with power and masculinity. I would to see what would happen if I tried to put them in balance.
What Weighs More: Flower or Metal? Metal, Dried Flower, Arduino. 2025
