Before age 28, Charlene Shih's early works of painting, installation, animation and video have all related to the role of her being an Asian female artist. Almost all of her early works cannot be separated from the Chinese painting and calligraphy that she was nurtured with since birth. The works are a constant struggle between east and west, desire and morality, and the process of finding her own identity.
At age 28, she finished the experimental film "Women", an animated film that was done completely using ink on rice paper. It includes all of the concepts and ideas she expressed in her previous works. "Women" was a milestone for her. After completing "Women", she could walk away from the feminist topics and issues of Chinese painting and calligraphy.
It has been 10 years since "Women" was completed. Over the past 10 years, Charlene's focus has switched to her family, friends and other controversial topics in the society, writing scripts and making documentary films. Even after 10 years, at age 38, she has realized that women's roles have not changed much. Chinese paintings and calligraphy have not changed as we walk into a new century. Even though a new China has been born, and the relationship between Taiwan and China has made a dramatic shift, the fact remains that they can still not get rid of the centuries of history, ethics and morality.
10years later, after trying to break all the rules, Charlene's role is still identified as a female director, a daughter, a wife. It doesn't matter how hard she struggles, in the end she is just like all the other women, put back into a small box that everyone can identify and agree upon. Her work continues to struggle against the rules and lingering around the tradition.
