Hu Jiayi's Provocative Exhibition at Vanguard Gallery Explores Taboos and Politics

Hu Jiayi's exhibition 'Her Mustache' at Vanguard Gallery in Shanghai, running from 12 September to 11 October 2024, features 18 photographs primarily depicting her pubic hair, styled into shapes like mustaches. The show is invitation-only, accessed through a secluded area with phone restrictions, emphasizing exclusivity. Works include close-ups of her groin with hair shaped like devil horns or a phallus, and 'Dali's Mustache' (2017–22), where replicas of Salvador Dalí portraits have his mustache replaced with Hu's pubic hair, accompanied by a fictional dialogue discussing political power and masculinity. Another piece, 'Juejiang Maimaiti (The Resolute Muhammad)' (2020), shows Hu in Uyghur attire with a beard, referencing Chinese policies restricting facial hair for Muslims and her Han ethnicity from Xinjiang. The exhibition challenges taboos around the female body, gender norms, and geopolitical tensions, with Hu born in Xinjiang and ethnically Han adding complexity. ArtReview Asia published a review in its Winter 2024 issue.