AHT2882 Contemporary Asian art and exhibitions

This unit introduces you to Asian contemporary art, with a focus on art after 1990. A flourishing art and museum scene in Asia, and heightened international interest, has helped propel Asian art into public visibility. In this context, there has been dramatic growth in Asian contemporary art practice, exhibitions, and museum collections, as well as new Asian art research and archiving initiatives.

In this unit, you will explore histories of modern and contemporary art from Asian perspectives. You will become familiar with key contemporary artists and artworks that have come to define different national and regional art histories in Asia, as well as with pivotal writings, exhibitions, curators, and institutions that have helped shape these histories. You will learn to situate critically, modern and contemporary art within Asia’s artistic, cultural and political contexts, and become acquainted with influential scholarship and art writing from the region. Through guided learning projects, you will be encouraged to explore your own interests in Asia and Asian art. You will also be encouraged to think critically about Art History’s geographies, including against international developments of ‘the contemporary’ and ‘global’ art and exhibitions. You will relate Asian-Australian art histories to this, and tap into the wealth of Asian art collections and exhibitions in Australia as resources for learning.

In 2025 this unit will only be offered as a 2-3 week intensive self-funded overseas study tour during Summer Semester A (November-December). The unit will not be offered on-campus in Caulfield.