Conceived by artist Maroussia Bleitrach, the project originated from a reflection on contemporary representations of female superheroes. Faced with the dominance of Western pop culture figures—particularly those popularised through American comics and cinema, the artist questioned the characteristics commonly associated with the “strong woman”. These representations, largely standardised and globalised, raise a broader question: must women conform to these models in order to be considered strong?

Rather than isolating the figure of the superwoman as an exceptional individual, Bleitrach approached it as a construct shaped by cultural norms and power structures. To question the superwoman, then, is also to question the implicit definition of the “ordinary” woman against which she is measured. This critical framework led the artist to ask how such an archetype might shift when placed in a different cultural and social context.

Having lived and studied in Hanoi, Bleitrach turned to Vietnam as a site of inquiry, while remaining conscious of her own position as a non-Vietnamese artist. She chose not to impose an answer, but instead to create a participatory process. Through a series of structured interviews conducted in the streets of Hanoi, Vietnamese participants from different generations, genders, and social backgrounds were invited to imagine a Vietnamese Wonderwoman. Neutral, character-building questions guided the interviews, allowing imaginaries to unfold freely and reflect each participant’s cultural references, personal experiences, and values.