Su PinWen is an artist, and you can sense it in their voice from the moment they say hello. They speak with a directness that immediately conveys their vision.

PinWen is currently rehearsing for their upcoming performance of Girl’s Notes in Melbourne, a movement piece blending contemporary dance, music and performance art. The piece takes its name from a 1984 Taiwanese behaviour manual for girls, sparking conversations about the role of women in Taiwanese society.

Throughout the performance, PinWen moves with the book balanced on their head, a metaphor for the rigid gender norms imposed on women. At its core, the piece examines different forms of female behaviour, drawing directly from the artist’s personal experiences growing up in Taiwan as both a dancer and a daughter.

PinWen’s journey to becoming an independent artist wasn’t straightforward. Initially trained as a professional dancer, they held a stable position with the Beijing Modern Dance Company. However, after sustaining an injury, they were forced to rethink their path. A whirlwind trip to Madrid ignited their desire to merge feminist ideas with dance, leading to the creation of Girl’s Notes. Through this work, PinWen has started reshaping gender conversations in Taiwan and beyond.

JAKE FITZPATRICK So nice to meet you. Where are you calling from?

SU PINWEN I’m now in Chiayi Performing Arts Centre. Which is in the South city in Taiwan.

JF Beautiful. What’s the weather like in Taiwan this time of year? Humid?

SPW It is humid. But the last few days we had a terrible typhoon. In our city, it was manageable. A bit windy but not rainy. But down South it was bad. They received terrible rain.

JF Sorry to hear that. So, you will be playing Girl’s Notes at Melbourne Recital Centre soon. How would you describe this piece?

SPW It is my real-life experience. It is how I was educated and became a woman in Taiwan. The pressures I faced to fall into line. It explores my dance background. How I, as a woman, was expected to behave, stand straight and keep in line. It comes from a dominating patriarchy.

To show this, for the entire show I balance the book Girl’s Notes on top of my head. The book was written in 1984 and prescribes how a woman should behave. Carrying the book serves as a metaphor for the weight of expectation. Trying to balance it while continuing to live my life.

JF Are these behavioural expectations passed down from generation to generation in Taiwan?

SPW I am now aged 40. If I compare my experience with younger dancers, I can see they have quite different experiences to me. How my father guided me through gender was very different from my mother. He was strict and told me what to do. He would say, ‘You should not do this because you are a girl’. My mother was softer.

JF Did these dominant patriarchal attitudes also link to expectations of marriage and children?

SPW I do have another piece about over-aged females in Taiwan. It discusses these notions of marriage and giving birth; how older women are not as welcome as others. Those attitudes are very strong here. Very traditional.

JF Where did the idea for Girl’s Notes come from?

SPW In 2018, some bad things happened in my life and career. In 2017, I was working for Beijing Modern Dance Company. It was an amazing job. It was really challenging. I accidentally broke my ligament at the end of the contract. Because of this, I could not do intense dance anymore. I also had political issues with China, so I left for Taiwan, which is my hometown. But the society I returned to had forgotten me. I felt I was being rejected. With that rejection, I thought that I would become an independent artist. I will invite myself to do what I want. I subsequently studied feminism and nude performance. From a negative situation, I became independent.

JF That’s brilliant. You found yourself in a situation you didn’t want to be in, and you were able to swim to the other side. That’s a very important skill. How did you develop Girl’s Notes?

SPW I had two key questions. The first was why I didn’t really see any other feminist artists or pieces in performance art? Then I asked, What would feminist work look like for Taiwanese audiences?

JF Is there a feminist movement in Taiwan?

SPW At the moment, Taiwan is experiencing many social movements, not just feminism. These include Indigenous rights, workers' rights, and more. Now is the time to speak out boldly. While Taiwan is moving towards becoming a democratic country, the process hasn't been smooth. For 38 years, the country was under martial law, and more than two generations—our parents and grandparents—lived through that period. As democracy movements emerged, they began to address Indigenous and gender issues, sparking new activism. However, Taiwan’s first wave of feminism was short-lived. Despite its intensity and strength, it ultimately did not succeed.

JF How did you merge these worlds in Girl’s Notes?

SPW It’s my first nude piece. There were challenges with the nudity. In Taiwan, there was no knowledge about nudity on stage. I didn’t know if I could do it.

JF Why did you choose to go nude?

SPW Before I went back to Taiwan, I went to Madrid. I enrolled in a mix-gender artistic workshop about embodiment practice. I was shocked to see a completely naked person when I entered the room on the second day. I knew nothing about this man, but he captured my attention. I instantly wanted to know more. So, I thought I could use that in my work. To get people to pay attention to my message.

JF Is Australia one of the first places you have performed the piece?

SPW Before COVID, we wanted to take it to France but we couldn’t. In 2023, we went to London for a festival. I was placed as part of a double bill with another solo artist. He had a biological male body. It brought out a strong context. It reminded me of how we see the body in the culture.

JF How do you think Australians will react?

SPW It’s hard for me to imagine because I’m not there. I’m cooperating with different festivals there. They are all wonderful in different ways and will hopefully bring in different audiences.

I am performing in Melbourne at the Recital Centre, a classical music venue. While I perform to classical music, they will be observing my nude body. They might be a bit shocked, but I hope they enjoy it and take something from it.

JF Wonderful. I look forward to seeing it.

SPW Thank you for understanding and taking the time.

Su PinWen is performing Girl’s Notes with pianist Lin Mai-Ke at Melbourne Recital Centre on October 11^th and 12^th. Purchase your tickets here.