

Jennifer Ling Datchuk American, b. 1980
Silent Sisterhood, 2021
Wire, silk ribbon, slip cast Laguna porcelain for dolls
45 x 12 x 3 in
114.3 x 30.5 x 7.6 cm
114.3 x 30.5 x 7.6 cm
Within her compelling piece, Silent Sisterhood, Datchuk elevates the narratives of unspoken feminist perspectives, unravelling the systemic inequalities that have hindered the progress of women. As a Chinese American woman,...
Within her compelling piece, Silent Sisterhood, Datchuk elevates the narratives of unspoken feminist perspectives, unravelling the systemic inequalities that have hindered the progress of women. As a Chinese American woman, Datchuk navigates the nuanced and sometimes overwhelming aspects of growing up in a multi-cultural family, and the intersectionality's of her identity. Much of the work focuses on how women specifically embody time: the phases of the moon and the menstrual cycle, the exaggerated weight of waiting and quarantining, the slow growth of hair, the thresholds we cross and the unknown spaces we withstand, and the many “luck” objects we create to hold and use while hoping for a better future or circumstances. Within this exploration, Datchuk delves into the societal, cultural, and political systems that women navigate. Ceramic figurines, artfully crafted to echo the Venus of Willendorf—a historical symbol of the ideal female form—serve as a lens through which to scrutinize the ways women are confined within domestic and maternal spheres, eroding the innocence of girlhood and relegating them to controlled spaces of servitude. As an Asian woman, Datchuk utilizes her racial identity as a lens to further emphasize the constraints within which women are allowed to operate.
Exhibitions
Later, Longer, Fewer, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX, 2021; curator: Kathryn Hall.Literature
Nancy Zastudil, "This Time 'Round: Jennifer Ling Datchuk at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft," Arts and Culture Texas, Houston, TX, October 20, 2021 (illustrated)Lauren Moya Ford, "The Control Over Women’s Bodies, Expressed in Porcelain, Rope, and Hair," Hyperallergic, November 9, 2021 (illustrated)