In 2009, Li Xinmo began creating works on paper addressing gender and sexuality with her series Self-Portraits in Menstrual Blood. Menstrual blood is a significant aspect of a woman’s life, occurring monthly and playing a crucial role in conception. Although it signifies the potential for new life, menstrual blood is often regarded as filthy and impure in many cultures. Li Xinmo challenges these views by using her own menstrual blood to paint self-portraits once a month, continuing this practice until she stops menstruating completely.
This project is a performance piece that results in works of art on paper. While these works address experiences of reproduction and pain, they are not as intensely sensitive or visibly bloodied as the embodied experiences themselves. The portraits serve as both the artist’s personal self-portraits and collective portraits of all women. They are subversive in their defiance of traditional definitions of women in male-dominated societies. The portraits are intentionally unappealing and do not evoke joy; in fact, they often provoke aversion in many men. Ultimately, these portraits assert the genuine existence of women and the reality of motherhood.
