Empress Dowager Cixi has a much-debated legacy in China. As a teenager, Cixi was selected to be a concubine to the Xianfeng Emperor of the Qing dynasty. After he died, in 1861, Cixi installed herself alongside the emperor’s widow as co-empress dowager—staying in power for 47 years until her death in 1908. In a series of lush canvas paintings, Dominique Fung, a Canadian artist with roots in Hong Kong, questions the West’s understanding of Cixi as a ruthless dictator. Populated with historical figures and motifs, Fung’s paintings have a mystical, cinematic quality. Investigating society’s treatment of Cixi, she offers a fascinating parallel to contemporary womanhood. —Paulina Prosnitz