“Violent Divinity”, curated by Siteng and Jingyi, was a brilliant immersive exhibition celebrating Asian artists in a truly unique way. The multi-sensory evening offered a profound exploration of resilience and power in Asian women’s art.

The evening started with Julia Dèng Hànzú’s experimental Guzheng performance “Intervals Retuned”, evoking a peaceful yet dissonant atmosphere. Encompassed by Jingyi’s performance “Crying Wolf” and installation, the audience were then encouraged to get up and were led across the room and garden on a journey with the artists, forming an organic trajectory through LuckyPot 196’s intimate show space.  

In a shrine-like corner of the room, Luyin Cao’s performance “A Shrine, the Fertility and the Power” explored women’s reproductive autonomy in light of changes to fertility policies. The room was also adorned with cardboard bear traps, symbolising the perceived fragility of women contrasting with their strength and rage.  In the garden, Flo Yuting Zhu’s moving image and performance piece “False Witness” featured footage taken with night vision cameras and AI forgeries projected onto the wall, highlighting the censored culture of her upbringing.  

Inside, we were greeted by a spectacular cabaret freak show performance “The Vase Girl” by Runxuan Yang. It was a thought-provoking performance that underscored the oppression faced by women and explored the agency of “vase girl”.  The night concluded with a captivating live music performance by Siteng, featuring songs from her debut artpop EP, “Violent Divinity”. Her engaging narratives between songs echoed with the exhibition’s theme of human resilience.
 
Around the space, there was also a photographic series “Tribute to The Birangona” by Aashfaria Anwar, depicting powerful images of the women who survived the sexual violence against women during the Bangladesh Genocide/Liberation War of 1971. A multimedia exhibit “Downpour” by Alya Kautsaranti was also displayed in which water was depicted digitally on pieces of fabric. This portrayed the isolation emotional wounds can bring and how painting serves as a medium of expression for her.  

The night fostered an eerily beautiful atmosphere, with the journey-like way of exhibiting the artworks unique and immersive. It proudly celebrated the artworks of female Asian artists, provoking thought and needed recognition of the hardships faced by women of colour.