Visual Culture and Modernity in East Asia

Art History Class
Visual Culture and Modernity in East Asia

20 Thursdays, January 8 through May 21, 2015
11:00 am – 12:30 am
339 5^th Avenue, New York, NY 10016
(Between 33^rd & 34^th St. on 5^th Avenue)

This course involves a careful examination of visual cultures of East Asia from the late 19^th century to the early 20^th century when the region diversified its visual culture and embarked on modernizing societies with an introduction of new visual technologies, including photography and film. Starting from the general background on East Asian geopolitics at the time, emphases are on early developments of photography, film, and modern forms of fine arts in China, Japan and Korea. The course will explore the birth of photography studios, department stores, film theaters, and expositions while investigating various forms of modernity in East Asia.

Instructor: Jeehey Kim, Ph.D. Candidate

Jeehey Kim is PhD candidate in art history program at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. She is currently writing her dissertation on funerary photographic practices in East Asia. She has published in Photography and Culture, Photographies, The Trans Asian Photography.