Written by Cole Yap

Firmly planted on the shores of Penang island where she has resided since 2014, Winnie Cheng aka ERYN has always been fascinated by the stories and myths which have prevailed and shaped our society. In her first solo exhibition titled ‘Mirror, Mirror’, ERYN reflects upon a woman’s sense of self and how this is influenced by the expectations and obligations imposed on women in Asian communities. Drawing upon her own experience, ERYN delves into the psychological aspects of being a woman in a predominantly patriarchal society through her cryptic and mysterious compositions.

‘Mirror, Mirror...’, the familiar opening line to a spell uttered by the Evil Queen to her magic mirror in the fairytale ‘Snow White’, represents the loaded notion that a woman’s worth and power is measured by her physical beauty. In contemporary society, ideals of beauty and gender roles for women continue to be stereotyped and reinforced by mass media on a constant basis. Instead of acknowledging our own potential and worth, we are often easily misled to chasing those very fairytale ideals.

ERYN's latest series explores this inner schism, represented by puppet characters with cage bodies that draw attention to oppressive concepts of femininity and womanhood that continues to trap and constrict us, and the quiet defiance that exists beneath as we draw closer to the possibility of breaking free

The exhibition took place from 20 July to 3 August 2019 at G13’s Project Room. Download a copy of the catalogue here (hosted at G13’s website).