Three months into her Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Courtauld Institute of Art, Yayu Zheng reflects on her research into Sinophone queer cinema as she explores the British cultural landscape. Completing her academic insights, she included photographs from a recent trip to Wales, where the unfurling terrains inspired thoughts on nature, wildness, and alternative queer modes of living.

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ASYMMETRY: Your background in media studies, film production, and criticism bridges academic research and the creative world of film. What initially drew you to explore Sinophone queer cinema, and how has your personal connection to these themes evolved over time?

YAYU: Sinophone queer cinema is a field rich with potential, where each word holds the promise of emerging possibilities. ‘Sinophone’ serves as a framework which transcends nation-states by emphasising connections based on shared culture and linguistic roots as dynamic processes of becoming.

Queerness is not merely an identity or limited to a departure from normative gender and sexual configurations; it is a method to structure one’s life in fresh ways. Queer time disrupts conventional timelines and expectations. A queer way of living fosters a sense of freedom and liberation that challenges the broader social structure.

I was drawn to this topic because I sense the increasingly important role of queer cinema—and, more broadly, media touching on non-normative gender and sexuality issues—in the geopolitics of the Sinosphere. I am particularly interested in examining how the gradual destigmatisation and visibility of queerness vary across Sinophone regions, and how they influence one another.

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A: Your research explores Taiwan’s role in queer media within complex geopolitical contexts. What new perspectives on queer futurity and transnationalism do you aim to bring during your time at the Courtauld?

Y: Queer futurity, as José Esteban Muñoz argued, suggests a future yet to come; it lies on the horizon and inspires us to think beyond our current realities, which often feel immobile. This future-oriented perspective is also capable of challenging the prevailing trend of reproductive futurism, which centres around the figure of the innocent Child.

In this context, it is also crucial to examine the concept of homonationalism and how identity has been—and can be—politicised, infusing individuals with a political agency that transcends personal experience. This awareness serves as a caution against the over-optimism surrounding the notion of queerness as a unifying, celebratory idea, as it can easily be appropriated and assigned meanings to serve the expansion of state and empire or be detracted from its essence.

I am particularly interested in exploring alternative futures that diverge from teleology, capitalism, and neoliberalism, while remaining mindful of the pitfalls associated with viewing globalisation as solely optimistic and promising, without paying attention to its exploitative potential.

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A: How do you envision collaborating with the diverse communities and networks here in London, and how might this shape or expand your practice on Sinophone visual culture?

Y: London is an exciting city rich in cultural and artistic events, where diverse communities converge and interact, fostering the generation of new ideas. I am eager to participate in these events, exchanging insights with people from various backgrounds and experiences. Engaging with a wide range of artistic practices will undoubtedly provide me with fresh perspectives and inspiration for my research.