Contemporary art from various Asian contexts has attained a high level of international visibility during the past two decades. In part brought about by geopolitical developments, a major and continuing realignment of international exhibition rationales has seen the work of a number of Asian artists featured regularly in major biennial and triennial exhibitions around the world. This new visibility for non-western art is also related to the critique of Eurocentric, universalist ideologies that has influenced recent scholarship in the humanities and social sciences.
This course introduces students to a varied and exciting range of artistic practices from contemporary India, Indonesia, Japan and China. Students will also be offered an understanding of political, cultural and artistic contexts against which this work may be located. Questions of postcolonial politics, globalisation and nationalism will be addressed as part of the theoretical framework.
This course may be offered in semester-long format or as an intensive.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- demonstrate familiarity with major developments in contemporary visual art in Asia;
- critically analyse significant works, the careers of individual artists and relevant cultural and political histories;
- comprehend specific historical issues that underpin the development of contemporary art cultures in Asia;
- critically evaluate significant theoretical frameworks and apply insights from these to chosen case studies; and
- present written and oral arguments that address material discussed in the course.
Indicative Assessment
- Annotated bibliography (1000 words) (25) [LO 1,3,4,5]
- Essay (2500 words) (45) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Tutorial presentation including submission of PowerPoint Slides/presentation notes (8 minutes ) (20) [LO 2,3,5]
- Participation (10) [LO 1,2,3,4]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
For semester-mode delivery:
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 hours of contact: one 2 hour lecture and one 1 hour tutorial per week for 12 weeks (a total of 3 hours contact per teaching week)
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing
For intensive-mode delivery:
a) 36 hours of contact delivered in seminar mode during successively timetabled intensive days across two weeks
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Not required.
Preliminary Reading
Available on Wattle.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 12
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $4020 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $5580 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8322 | 27 Jul 2026 | 03 Aug 2026 | 31 Aug 2026 | 30 Oct 2026 | In Person | N/A |