Location:99 Fucheng Road (near Dongchang Road) 震旦博物館, 富城路99号震旦大厦1楼, 近东昌路 Shanghai, China
To register, please scan the QR code below.
We continue our insightful 2024-2025 series China’s Arts and Aesthetics of the Past by delving into the material culture of the recent and distant history to assess how objects ranging from imperial patronage to utilitarian handicrafts have shaped China’s aesthetics through the ages.
In this unique session of night-at-the-museum, please join Art Historian and Art Focus Convener Julie Chun as we explore the emergence of ancient sculptures in China. We will discuss and examine the fragmentary evidences of abstract and figurative signifiers that were originally constructed as religious and funerary markers, reliquaries, steles, and monuments but eventually became ensconced as “art.” How did these site-specific objects from sacred caves, religious temples and even personal tombs find their way into museums and private collections? More importantly, what do these artifacts reveal about the context in which they were created, utilized and even venerated? And how did some of these objects articulate hierarchies of power beyond their purpose as spiritual objects of guidance? These aspects can be embodied in Buddhist imageries, many of which were constructed with iconographical standards set by devout monks, some who even wielded great influence at court. As a foreign doctrine to China, Buddhism is derived from the lives and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who lived during the 6th or 5th century BCE. His doctrine spread from South Asia to many regions in Asia, and beyond, to influence societies and civilizations throughout history with the compelling aid of visual imagery. Come join us as we study how Buddhist iconographies incorporated diverse ranges of foreign and local elements to assist devotees to elucidate an abstract concept as a visible and personal belief system.
Speaker’s Bio:
Julie Chun is a trained Art Historian and Art Critic based in Shanghai since 2011. She lectures about the state of art and museums in Shanghai for diverse foreign associations, including for the foreign Consulate General offices. She has taught East Asian art history as an Adjunct Professor at global programs in Shanghai and is a regular contributing writer for Yishu Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art. Her art reviews and criticisms have been published in academic journals and online art journals in China and internationally. Since 2013, she serves as the Art Focus Convener of the Royal Asiatic Society in China where she devotes her time to expanding the public’s understanding of artistic objects, past and present.
*** Members of the DKU community are invited to attend at a discounted rate of 100RMB including two drinks.
Come explore history and engage in thought-provoking discussions!
