Comb Sisters
Combing-Up, a commitment of a lifelong celibacy/ ©National Museum of Singapore, National Heritage Board
93 year old Comb Sister
93 year old Comb Sister Huang Ruiyun/ Photo: Yingjia Tan
Interior of a gupouk the communal space of Comb Sisters
Interior of a gupouk, the communal space of Comb Sisters/ Photo: Yingjia Tan
Exterior of a gupouk
Exterior of a gupouk/ Photo: Yingjia Tan
Yingjia Tan at field investigation
Yingjia Tan at field investigation/ Photo: Yingjia Tan
Map of waterway
Map of Waterways in the Canton Delta/ ©Collection of Library of Congres

Comb SistersDuration: December 3 – 15, 2024| Opening: December 3, 2024 at 6 p.m.

Architecture of a Women’s Collective

From December 3 to 15, 2024, the Architecture Museum der TUM will present in Pavilion 333 the exhibition “Comb Sisters: Architecture of a Women's Collective”, based on the research of Master's graduate Yingjia Tan. The exhibition explores the radical communal architecture of the Comb Sisters, a 19th century women's collective in the Canton Delta that pioneered female autonomy. Archival maps, historical documents and the results of three months of field research, including photographs of abandoned communal houses and interviews with the last generation of Comb Sisters will be exposed. This exhibition is an extension of Yingjia Tan's master's thesis, which was supervised by Prof. Lepik at the Chair of Architectural History and Curatorial Practice at TUM.

The exhibition will be accompanied by the following events:
Opening: December 03, 2024, 6:00 pm
Parity Jour Fixe: December 12, 6:00 pm
Finissage: December 15, 3:00 pm

About the Comb Sisters: In the 19th century, numerous women in the Canton Delta of Southern China chose to remain unmarried. Empowered by their involvement in the thriving silk industry, they rejected the traditional submissive roles of wives and the constraints of a patriarchal feudal system. These women adopted the practice of “Combing Up”- a cultural ritual symbolizing their initiation: an unmarried, celibate, economically sufficient woman who lived communally with other women.

Entrance fee:
The exhibition is free of charge.

When:

03 - 15 DECEMBER
Mon-Fri: 2 - 7 p.m.
Sat-Sun: 12 - 6 p.m.

Where:

Pavillon 333
at the east side of the Pinakothek der Moderne

Türkenstraße 15

80333 Munich