The Chinese architecture studio Wutopia Lab has made two spectacular large-scale installations called “His House and Her House”. This project sees architecture, in particular, the symbol of house, as a reason for reflecting on what in China is perceived as a culturally connectable space for women or men, as well as their conceptual relationship with food. The two case-installations have colours that can easily be traced back to the sexual identification, pink for women and blue for men and are located in Dameisha Village, an urban shantytown in Shenzhen.

According to Wutopia Lab, the project is based on the fact that in China public kitchens and restaurants are presumably male-dominated, while private domestic kitchens are mostly for women. So we have on one hand His House, in shades of green and blue (as a tribute to the palette of Henri Matisse) composed of a meditation room where the bacon falls from the ceiling and, in contrast, Her House sprinkles feminine energy with its afternoon tearooms and other stereotypically feminine activities.

The intention of architects was to celebrate the expressive differences of their sexes, however, the project has attracted criticism from the West for its reinforcement of gender stereotypes.

So, what do you think?