TAD2301

Art and the rim: Asia-Pacific positions 1

6 points
* Two 1.5 hour tutorial/lecture per week
* First semester
* Caulfield and distance
* Prerequisites: TAD1101 and TAD1102

Objectives On successful completion of this subject, students should have awareness and knowledge of the broad range of visual art practices of the Asia-Pacific region; appreciate critical approaches to the relationship between craft, art and design and the culture in which these are created, especially in cultures of the Asia/Pacific region; be able to examine critically the significance and values of a variety of art practices which do not proceed from a mainstream western perspective and compare them to Eurocentric paradigms.

Synopsis This subject looks at the craft, art and design of our region, including Australia, New Zealand and Asia, in the context of various colonial histories. The ways in which visual art practices interconnect with, reflect, influence or shape cultural identities are of central interest as is the impact of gender and racial issues on the art and craft practices of the indigenous and settler cultures. Techniques, styles, and contexts of conception and making within Aboriginal, Maori, Polynesian, and various Asian populations are considered. Weaving, textiles, carving, ceramics and decorative arts are examined along with other forms of art and design, in both historical and contemporary contexts. A significant area of study is the shift from `ethnographic artefact' to `art object'. The ethical and social issues of the inclusion of indigenous art forms and motifs in the art and design of non-indigenous artists are also explored.

Assessment Tutorial paper: 30%
* Gallery report: 30%
* Essay: 40%

Prescribed texts

Clifford J `Travelling cultures' in G L Grossber, C Nelson and P A Treichler (eds) Cultural studies Routledge, 1992
Pound F The space between: Pakeha use of Maori motifs in modernist New Zealand art
Willis A M Illusions of identity: The art of nation Hale and Ironmonger, 1993