While We Were Watching: Violence and the Releasing of Objects from Southeast Asian Art and Archaeology

As a natural species, the tiger, conventionally regarded as a quintessential Asian animal, occupies the apex of material and energy flows within forest ecosystems. Beyond its natural form, the tiger has emerged as a cultural signifier across diverse ethnic spaces. This “imagined tiger” functions as a cultural “Other” in European art, evolving into an Asian cultural icon and, within postcolonial contexts, as a medium for addressing regional traumas. Over millennia, the interactions between tigers and humans in Southeast Asia have been shaped by spatial and temporal changes, influencing both the natural environment and human social activities. These dynamics have given rise to a history of material relations and symbolic representations between tigers and humans. Within Southeast Asia, a region marked by cultural, historical, and identity-related complexities, the tiger serves not only as a natural creature but also as a vessel of cultural memory, defining and representing human spatial identities in various ways within social realities. Therefore, by examining the spatial changes in the geographic distribution of tigers in Southeast Asia, this paper analyzes how tigers have functioned as ecological and cultural symbols within the Southeast Asian context. It further explores how the “imagined tiger” in Southeast Asian art continues to haunt the present as a phantom image, narrating issues of identity and power, even after the extinction of the ecological tiger, whose material presence as a symbol has vanished. Through the lens of tigers, this study seeks to uncover the regional cultural characteristics and identity issues in Southeast Asian art and reflect on how to reconstruct Southeast Asian art within a postcolonial framework.

This article examines the contributions of anthropology to the study of modern and contemporary Southeast Asian art history. In looking at a number of studies of Southeast Asian artists by anthropologists, it aims to ask questions about the nature of contemporary art in Southeast Asia in relation to the discipline of anthropology. In particular, it questions the relevance of ethnographic texts in the study of images and how the reliance of ethnography on notions of cultural difference and the ‘other’ impacts on interpretations of living artists' work. Taking Vietnamese performance artists as an example, the article looks at a case where ethnography may act as a substitute for the lack of written art historical sources. The question then is not only of the appropriateness of applying ethnographic methods to Southeast Asian art but also of the appropriateness of Southeast Asian art to the study of ethnography and art history.

This research focuses on the doorframe, an architectural component of the door that is regarded as one of the most sacred elements in Hindu and Buddhist architecture, both in Indian and Southeast Asian art. Previous studies have discussed the iconography and styles of the doorframe, such as Stella Kramrisch (1946) and Parul Pandya Dhar (2009). However, their iconography and stylistic connections to India and Southeast Asia have not been widely explored. The aim of this study is to explore the iconography and stylistic connections between Indian and Southeast Asian doorframes prior to the 13th century CE. The findings can be summarized into four main topics: 1) Definition of the Enclosure, Wall, Gateway, Door, and Doorframe: the study classifies the “enclosure”, accompanied by a gateway, and the “wall” of a sanctum, which features a doorframe or “Dvāraśākhā.” 2) Iconographic Meaning of the Doorframe: as devotees peer into the sanctum to glimpse the deity, the doorframe assumes various iconographic meanings. It symbolizes the multiplication of the supreme god, the blessings of abundance, and the deity's power to eradicate evil and provide protection. 3) Development of Doorframes in Indian Art: the Gupta period introduces the Dvāraśākhā system, characterized by concentric frames. The Vakāṭaka period brings forth the Makara Toraṇa, an arch flanked by two Makaras. The Dvāraśākhā system has evolved through several schools of Indian art, particularly in North India, while the Makara Toraṇa has remained prevalent in South India. And 4) Evolution of Doorframes in Southeast Asian Art with Indian Comparisons: doorframes in Southeast Asia exhibit localized characteristics. Khmer lintels evolved from the Makara Toraṇa to arches adorned with foliate motifs and Kāla masks. Central Javanese doorframes are primarily decorated with Kāla and Makaras, whereas Bagan doorframes uniquely follow the Dvāraśākhā system.

The importance of Gupta-period sculpture to the art of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia has been stressed by many scholars for over a century. The Gupta Period is roughly the fourth-sixth centuries during which the Gupta dynasty controlled much of north India. The Gupta-period artistic style was fairly consistent and emphasised an idealised naturalism that has been praised for its artistic excellence. It is also seen to have relationships with some of the earliest art that developed in Southeast Asia. My paper outlines how these relationships can be defined. It places the Gupta-related art into the context of other Indian art, of Sri Lankan art, of Chinese art, and then each of these with Southeast Asian art. It aims to question several of the standard scholarly assumptions made in regard to the relationship of Gupta-period and Southeast Asian art. WHAT IS GUPTA-PERIOD ART? The Gupta dynasty began rule in 320, reached its political zenith around 400, and was losing its strength a century later, by around 500. There is very little art that can be attributed to the fourth century, during the initial decades of Gupta political growth. Indeed there is little art in north India that can be placed in this century, following the end of the Kushan dynastic control and the rise of the Guptas. The Guptas themselves appear not to have been patrons of sculpture or temples, as we have no sculpture and only a few temple remains that were patronized by them. Their interest in visual arts seems limited to coins, with their gold coins reaching a high level of artistic excellence. Members of the Vakataka dynasty, linked through marriage with the Guptas, were, on the other hand, major patrons of both Hindu and Buddhist sculpture and temples. The Buddhist cave temples at Ajanta were done under the Vakatakas in the second half of the fifth century. By the middle of the sixth century we can say the Gupta-period style of art is ending, and during the seventh-century, sculpture in north India will become transformed into a much more formalised, flattened, and conceptual style.

In the past decade, contemporary art has become one of art history's most urgent questions. The question has special urgency in light of art's globalisation, a phenomenon that might be usefully analysed through the works identified as ‘Contemporary Southeast Asian art’. Compared with its East Asian counterparts, Southeast Asian art has been relatively invisible in discussions of contemporaneity, yet the circumstances of this lack of visibility have much to say about contemporary art. Moreover, the sheer complexity of art in this region possesses the capacity to complicate, and even to trouble how contemporary art is generally understood. Finally, this article defends the use of terms like ‘Southeast Asian art’, contending that the ideals embodied within contemporary art's ‘global turn’ can be effectively advanced through modes of regionalism that recognise the contingency of things.

This article argues that Gayonese community practice Islam through the culture and less concern with religious texts. Although the wave of islamization since the colonial time and post-independence was high, the process does not succeed in introducing what the local scholars called as Islamic tradition. Such situation forces the following ulama to defend culture by finding justification for every practice instead of abolishing it. There are two factors leading to the situation. First, ulama of colonial and post-colonial time did not succeed in finding what they called as Islamic tradition replacing the existing tradition. second, lacking of regeneration of reformer Ulama that drive the living reformer ulama to support culture by inserting Islamic values and norms into the culture. This effort is crucial as the Gayonese refers more to the culture than the religious texts. This Article historically studies the development of Islam in Gayonese community. It frames its historical analysis from the Dutch colonial period to post independence of Indonesia Republic. It generally observes the impact of islamization in the past to the current situation. This article brings back the fundamental question in socio-anthropological studies about Islam that why do Muslim who refer to same source of text understand and practice Islam in widely various expression. The question is applied to this research exploring the development of Islam in Gayonese community inhabiting Central Aceh and Bener Meriah District. Thus, this research questions how did Islam develop in colonial time and its impact to the local culture? did there a debate about religion and culture take place during the colonial time and post-independence of Indonesia? How does the past event affect the current practice of Islam in Gayonese community? the questions are explored historically by collecting relevant literatures and collective memory of the local people. The collective memory data were collected from 2015 to 2019

Volume two, contains about 1500 records selected from the annotated bibliographic database on South and Southeast Asian art and archaeology (formerly Annual Bibliography of Indian Archaeology). They were compiled by an international team of specialists brought together in a project of The International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) in Leiden and feature all forms of scholarly publications, ranging from survey works to small but important articles in monographs and journals, published world-wide between 1997 and 2001. Subjects include pre- and protohistory, historical archaeology, ancient art history, modern art history, material culture, epigraphy and palaeography, numismatics and sigillography (seals). Covered are South Asia and its culturally related regions (Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Tibet) and Southeast Asia (including related regions in South China and the Pacific). The detailed bibliographic descriptions (which faithfully reproduce the original diacritics), controlled keywords and many elucidating annotations make this reference work into a useful guide to recent scholarly work on the prehistory and arts of South/Southeast Asia.

From abhayamadra through zoomorphic, this is an essential dictionary for anyone stepping into the fascinating world of South and Southeast Asian art. Now with over 1,300 entries and 112 line illustrations, this revised and expanded edition makes a handy reference for travelers and residents, students, museum goers, and general readers. Explanations are succinct and easy to understand. Entries range from terms encountered in South and Southeast Asian history, religion, mythology, and literature, to those specific to art and architecture. Words are drawn from the diverse religious traditions of the region, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Sikhism, and Taoism, and from the countries of the region, including Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

For the last two decades, the international auction houses Sotheby’s and Christie’s have been at the forefront of global art market expansion. Their world-wide footprints have enabled auction house specialists to engage with emerging artists and aspiring collectors, most notably in the developing economies of the Global South. By establishing their sales infrastructure in new locales ahead of the traditional mechanisms of primary market commercial galleries, the international auction houses have played a foundational role in the notional construction of new genres of art. However, branding alone is not sufficient to establish these new markets; the auction houses require a network of willing supporters to facilitate and drive marketplace supply and demand, be that trans-locational art market intermediaries, local governments, and/or regional auction businesses. This paper examines emerging art auction markets in three Global South case studies. It elucidates the strategic mechanisms and networks of international and regional art auction houses in the development of specific genres of contemporary art: Hong Kong and ‘Chinese contemporary art’, Singapore and ‘Southeast Asian art’, and Australia and ‘Aboriginal art’. Through examination and comparison of these three markets, this paper draws on research conducted over the past decade to reveal an integral role played by art auctions in the expansion of broader contemporary art world infrastructure in the Global South.

'Pedagogical Reckoning: Decolonizing and Degendering the Art Historical Canon in the Classroom and Museum' brings together leading voices in art history, museum studies, and pedagogy to confront the Eurocentric and patriarchal foundations of traditional art historical education. This timely anthology provides a range of actionable strategies for reshaping curricula, exhibitions, and research through the lenses of decoloniality, gender justice, and global inclusion. Edited by Sooran Choi and Gillian Greenhill Hannum, the volume includes contributions from scholars, artists, and educators across institutional contexts—from large research universities to community colleges and art schools. Its chapters span three key areas: inclusive classroom pedagogy, critical museum and curatorial practice, and decolonial research methodologies. Essays explore intersectional frameworks informed by postcolonial theory, feminist critique, queer studies, and ethnic studies, while also providing practical tools such as sample assignments, case studies, and curatorial models. Uniquely, this anthology integrates scholarly analysis with pedagogical reflection, offering readers both conceptual frameworks and concrete applications. It builds on recent literature such as 'Teaching South and Southeast Asian Art' and 'Expanding the Parameters of Feminist Artivism', while extending the conversation through its focus on classroom agency, community-responsive teaching, and institutional reckoning. Ideal for art history instructors; museum professionals; and students in anthropology, cultural studies, and education, 'Pedagogical Reckoning' serves as both a critical resource and a methodological guide. It is suitable for classroom adoption, professional development, and curriculum planning, and will appeal to anyone committed to transforming the way we teach, curate, and write about art.

Early Mughal painting: (the Polsky lectures in Indian and Southeast Asian art and Archaeology.) By Milo Cleveland Beach, pp. viii, 164, front., 92 illus., map. Cambridge, Mass, and London, Harvard University Press for the Asia Society, 1987. £23.95. - Volume 121 Issue 1

The proposed paper studies the narratives of ‘borders’ and ‘nations’ on the border lands between India and Burma invoking two works of fiction written in Assamese and English respectively. Jangam (1982) an Assamese novel by Debendranath Acharya is read with The Glass Palace (2000) by Amitav Ghosh to study the stateless lives of people who become victims of operative forces controlling the exclusionary lines of border and nation. Set on the backdrop of World War II, both the novels address the ramifications of border and nation in the lives of common people. They probe less explored geography of the Indo-Burmese border and the ebbs and flows during the colonial and post-colonial times. Popular representations depicting this particular geography have remained elusive, comparing for example, the Indo-Pakistan border. It is argued that the historical narratives of cross border migrations in the colonial times can be reviewed through regional writers’ expressions about home and homelessness. The fixity of borders and the consequent realisations of belonging to a nation for both the Indian migrants in Burma and their counterparts in India not only call for fluidity in the way home and homelessness are understood, but also are read against the temporal re-imaginings of national identities. Exploring beyond the historical records of such episodes, these works of fiction offer nuanced and poignant picture of what politics does to everyday human life. The contorted lives of migrants crossing these contested borders suggest that borders are sites of negotiations where ideas of nation and nationalism are constantly interrogated and ideas of ‘insider/outsider’ and ‘home/world’ are redefined.

Reviewed by: Translingual Narration: Colonial and Postcolonial Taiwanese Fiction and Film by Bert Scruggs Elaine Wong Scruggs, Bert. Translingual Narration: Colonial and Postcolonial Taiwanese Fiction and Film. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2015. 216pp. $65.00 hardcover. The object of scrutiny in Translingual Narration: Colonial and Postcolonial Taiwanese Fiction and Film is the formation of colonial identity or consciousness during Japan’s rule of Taiwan from 1895 to 1945. Specifically, Bert Scruggs examines the colonial identity of the Han Chinese people who had settled in Taiwan before the Japanese occupation. Many of them came from southern China and the language they spoke, which became known as Taiwanese, originated from the Hokkien dialect of Fujian province. Since Taiwanese was a vernacular without a written form, the literature of these people was written in Chinese and, during the colonization, in Japanese. Apparently, it is in this linguistic context that Scruggs uses “translingual narration” to refer to the body of materials of his study: short fiction of the colonial period, as well as films of colonial topics produced in colonial and postcolonial times. Readers interested in colonial and postcolonial conditions will uncover such conditions in the specificities intricately carved into the ideological contours of a textual landscape. However, readers interested in translingualism might find its treatment compromised by conceptual limitations. Scruggs’s selection of fiction and film cogently shows the impossibility of pinning down a colonial Taiwanese identity in the colonizer-colonized dichotomy. As Scruggs notes when outlining the theoretical horizons in chapter one, for one thing, “Taiwan never attained independence or underwent formal decolonization” (5), but only passed from the hands of imperial Japan to those of a Chinese republic. For another, it was under Japanese colonization that the Taiwanese people experienced modernity, which, besides advancing material progress, stimulated awareness of personal choice, social opposition, and social empathy beyond the confines of colonialism. This conceptual frame enables nuanced readings of the colonial texts. The study delineates free will in the main characters of Weng Nao’s “The Remaining Snow,” Wu Zhuoliu’s “The Doctor’s Mother,” and Wang Changxiong’s “Torrent,” examined vis-à-vis ambivalence and mimicry in colonial identity construction in chapter three. Chapter four locates agency and action of revolutionary change in Yang Kui’s left-wing fiction, in contradistinction to the works of Yang Shouyu, Wang Shilang, and Zhu Dianren, which only passively reflect activism (72). Turning to the colonial female writers Zhang Bihua, Ye Tao, Huang Baotao, and Yang Qianhe, chapter five situates their female characters’ abilities to transcend class and ethnic boundaries in “a hegemony of matrimony” (96), one that while prescribing women’s roles as wives and mothers, paradoxically unified women in colonial Taiwan through common matrimonial concerns. The sixth and last chapter observes “cultural solastalgia”—a term used by Scruggs to describe the longings for a vanishing Taiwanese culture as a result of both colonialism and modernity (115; see also Albrecht et al, “Solastalgia,” Australasian Psychiatry 15.1 [2007])—in Zhu Dianren’s “Autumn Tidings,” Lü Heruo’s “Fengshui,” and Wang Changxiong’s “Torrent,” before exploring affective and pragmatic memories in the filmic narratives of Viva Tonal: Tiaowushidai, Lüde haipingxian (Emerald Horizon), Nanshin Taiwan, Wuyan de shanqiu (Hill of No Return), and Tianma Chafang (March of Happiness). In all these discussions, Scruggs facilitates critical intersections between global theoretical perspectives and Taiwanese studies vantage points, assessing their applicability to specific colonial and postcolonial circumstances along the way. Whereas each chapter has a well-grounded [End Page 517] conceptual frame, the individual frames only occasionally bridge across the chapters. Problematizing the free will that empowers selected members of the colonized in the stories examined in chapter three, for instance, might expand the understanding of why the “despondent, discouraged, or disappearing characters” of the exploited class in colonial capitalism discussed in chapter four “fail to inspire or lead” (86). This might also offer a more impartial alternative to Scruggs’s celebration of Yang Kui’s activist characters and sustain the otherwise open dialogue throughout the study. Yang Kui wrote in Japanese during colonial times, including the stories perused in the study. However, he switched to writing in Chinese under the Republic of China’s rule. For...

There have been published 137 pieces of books and articles on the art history of Asia from 2013 to 2016. Classifying the papers by its genre, the articles on the history of painting was the most followed by the study on Buddhist sculpture. Among the entire Asia, Chinese art was overwhelmingly popular in research interest and Central Asian art was the next. Considering the art from the Silk Road as the Central Asian art, articles regarding the Central Asian art dramatically increased in its number. Korean researchers think that Korean art is in directly related to Chinese and Central Asian art. Comparing the art of two regions might help the Korean researchers follow the lead to reach the origin of Korean art. However, the interest of art historian is unequally dealt out the region: there was not a single paper published on the Western Asian art, only four papers were about Indian art and three papers were about Southeast Asian art. Subjects and themes were diversified as the researchers started to study the porcelain and bronze ware discovered from the sunken vessel in Southeast Asia, and even the space matter of the temples. Thus, it can be regarded as the researchers broadening their prospects. Based on the attribution of Korean academia, which the speed of their globalization is accelerating, it is certain that the research subjects and the region will be extended even further.

Previous article FreeContributorsPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreCarlos Garrido CastellanoCarlos Garrido Castellano is Lecturer of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies at University College Cork. He has taught widely on Spanish, Lusophone and Latin American visual culture. His research interests focus on visual culture, critical theory, activism and collaborative artistic practices in postcolonial contexts.Daria GhiuDaria Ghiu lives and works in Bucharest. She wrote a book on the history of the Romanian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (IDEA Publishing House, 2015) and is an art critic and radio author. Since 2016 she is an associate professor at the University of Bucharest.Vasif KortunVasif Kortun is a curator, writer and teacher in the field of contemporary art – its institutions and spatial practices. He was the founding director of Research and Programs of SALT, Istanbul. A recipient of the Award for Curatorial Excellence from Bard College, he is the chairman of the board of the Foundation for Arts Initiatives.Ana LongoniAna Longoni is a writer, researcher and professor at the University of Buenos Aires and teaches in the Independent Studies Program of the MACBA, Barcelona. She studies the intersections between art and politics in Argentina and Latin America from the mid-twentieth century to the present. Currently, she is the director of public activities for Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid.Michael A. MelMichael A. Mel is of the Mogei tribe in the Mt Hagen area in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). He completed a PhD at Flinders University, Adelaide and was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Goroka, PNG. He is currently a manager for Pacific and international collection at the Australian Museum, Sydney.Serubiri MosesSerubiri Moses is an independent writer and curator. His curatorial work, writing and research has been presented internationally in Kampala, Hong Kong, Cali, Nairobi, Accra, Johannesburg and Berlin. He was on the curatorial team for the 10th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, ‘We don’t need another hero’, in 2018.Vijay PrashadVijay Prashad is director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He first wrote about Naeem Mohaiemen’s work for journal TAKE on art (New Delhi) in 2010 and appears in Mohaiemen’s film Two Meetings and a Funeral (2017).Filipa RamosFilipa Ramos is editor-in-chief at art-agenda, and lectures at Kingston University, London and Institut Kunst, Basel. Ramos is co-curator of Vdrome, was associate editor of Manifesta Journal and contributed to dOCUMENTA 13 and documenta 14. She edited Animals (Whitechapel Gallery/MIT Press, 2016) and curates ‘Animalisk’ at Bildmuseet Umeå, Sweden in 2019.Jerssi Esperança Restino PauloJerssi Esperança Restino Paulo is an Angolan student in African Studies at Universidade de Lisboa. In the future, she would like to work with NGOs that support Africa’s development or in matters related to African history.Charles StankievechCharles Stankievech is an artist and Director of Visual Studies, Faculty of Architecture, University of Toronto. From 1996 to 2004 he worked as a licensed atomic energy technician for the world’s largest materials engineering firm that did forensic analysis on architectural, industrial and military assets. He is a contributing editor to Afterall.Nora A. TaylorNora A. Taylor is Alsdorf Professor of South and Southeast Asian art at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is author of Painters in Hanoi: An Ethnography of Vietnamese Art (Hawaii, 2004/NUS Press, 2009) and numerous articles and co-editor of Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art: An Anthology (Southeast Asia Program Publications, an imprint of Cornell University Press, 2012) among other edited volumes.Reiko TomiiReiko Tomii is an independent art historian who investigates post-1945 Japanese art in global and local contexts. She is co-director of PoNJA-GenKon (www.ponja-genkon.net), a scholarly listserv. Among her latest publications is Radicalism in the Wilderness: International Contemporaneity and 1960s Art in Japan (MIT Press, 2016).Clare VealClare Veal is a lecturer in the MA Asian Art Histories programme at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore where she conducts research on Southeast Asian photography, art and visual culture with a focus on Thailand. She received her PhD in art history from the University of Sydney in 2016.Kaelen Wilson-GoldieKaelen Wilson-Goldie is a writer based in New York and Beirut. She is contributing editor for Bidoun and writes regularly for Artforum, Bookforum, Aperture and Frieze. Her first book, Etel Adnan (Lund Humphries), on the paintings of the Lebanese-American poet Etel Adnan, was published in 2018. Previous article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Afterall Volume 47Spring/Summer 2019 Published by Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/704207 © 2019 by Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, University of the Arts London. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.