Dominique Fung's inaugural solo exhibit, Beneath the Golden Canopy, in Hong Kong navigates the multifaceted legacy of Empress Dowager Cixi, who ruled China from 1861 to 1908. Fung employs personal connections and historical references to interpret Cixi's portrayal in different cultural narratives. Her artwork reflects a blend of vibrant colors and dreamlike compositions, exploring themes of power, femininity, and the mediation of history. A significant piece in the exhibition is a carpet from Cixi's court, symbolizing the intersections of past and present, influenced by Fung's diasporic identity and memories.
Fung's engagement with Cixi is personal - shaped by childhood memories of period dramas, a book suggested by a friend, and later, a deeper reckoning with how colonial narratives have filtered and distorted history.
At the heart of this new body of work is Empress Dowager Cixi, a figure long debated in historical narratives, portrayed in the West as ruthless and manipulative.
These works invite viewers to reconsider who controls the telling of history and how power is both framed and obscured.
Fung does not seek to reclaim Cixi, but instead uses her as a lens to explore power, femininity, and the ways in which history is mediated and mythologized.
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