How Can “Craftivism” and the Chinese Secret Language of “Nv Shu" Demonstrate Women Self-awareness and Collective Consciousness in Art Practice?

Abstract

This essay investigates craftivism as a form of activism, and the Chinese secret language- "Nv Shu" presents women's self-awareness and collectivity in artistic practice. "Nv Shu" represents some Chinese women in their struggle for power in the oppression of a patriarchal society. As an artist, after doing first-hand research, I discovered that the greatness of "Nv Shu" is not only in the scripts but also in their attitudes and methods of forming family craft organizations to transmit their voice and collectivity. At the same time, I took the craftsmanship embodied in "Nv Shu" and combined it with Chinese and Western culture, using the "gentle protest" concept promoted by Sarah Corbett, a founder of the "Craftivist Collective" as the main case study. The aim is to provide a unique perspective on the power of women's voices to perpetuate and innovate "Nv Shu" in artistic practice. Therefore, I conducted second-hand research and followed Deleuze and Guattari's theory of "minor literature" and the article Towards a Minor Art Practice by Simon O'Sullivan as the theoretical framework for this essay. The comparison of "major" and "minor" is used to demonstrate the territorialized, collective and political of "Nv Shu" and Sarah Corbett's craft organization. I conclude that the "minor" craftivism group in "Nv Shu" provides a space for women to have psychological relaxation in the slow process of stitching to demonstrate gentle power.