I am 60
“When I looked at family photographs, I was surprised how few photos there were of me and my parents, compared with how many there were of my brother. Was this because I was a girl, and therefore insignificant?” In her solo “I am 60”, Wen Hui, pioneer of independent Chinese dance theater, uses photographic and film material to explore her own story and that of her female relatives – their wounds, influences and strengths. Wen Hui tells of personal and social discrimination, as well as movements towards women’s emancipation like that of the golden age of Chinese cinema in the 1930s, when female figures weren’t just attractive decor but active in their own right. “I am 60” juxtaposes historical footage with private documents, statistical facts and interviews with personal memories. Between them Wen Hui lightly dances, like a reed in the wind. She brings together present and past, and gives a space to the physical experiences of women from different generations.