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Übung mit regionalem Schwerpunkt – Einführung in die Kunstgeschichte Koreas / Introduction to Korean Art History
(Übung, BA, 9 ECTS)
Dr. Tomoë Steineck
Mittwoch, 14:00–15:45 Uhr
Raum RAA-E-27
Das Modul bietet eine Einführung in die koreanische Kunstgeschichte. Anhand repräsentativer Werkbespiele vom Neolithikum bis hin zur Gegenwart werden wichtige Kunstformen, Medien, Techniken und Gattungen im Detail erörtert und den Studierenden vermittelt. Neben ausschlaggebenden Strömungen und Entwicklungen der Kunstgeschichte Koreas werden die Kunstwerke stets im Zusammenhang ihrer jeweiligen historischen und sozialen Kontexte reflektiert und diskutiert.
The module offers an introduction to Korean art history. Using representative examples of works from the Neolithic period to the present day, important art forms, media, techniques and genres are discussed in detail and conveyed to the students. In addition to key trends and developments in Korean art history, the works of art are always reflected upon and discussed in the context of their respective historical and social contexts.
FS25_Intro to Korean Art_Syllabus (PDF, 380 KB)
Korean Wave(s): Global Itineraries of Korean Art
(Colloquium, BA/MA, Wahlpflicht, 3 ECTS)
Prof. Dr. Ewa Machotka & Alva Speth, M.A.
Time and place to be announced.
Im Zusammenhang mit der Konferenz „Korean Wave(s): Global Itineraries of Korean Art“ haben die Studierenden die Möglichkeit, am begleitenden Kolloquium teilzunehmen und die Konferenzsitzungen zu besuchen, sich aktiv an Vorträgen und Podiumsdiskussionen zu beteiligen und Fragen an die Referenten zu formulieren. Der Kurs regt zur kritischen Reflexion über Themen wie die Rolle der transkulturellen Mobilität bei der Produktion und Zirkulation von Kunstobjekten, die Rezeption von Kunstobjekten, ihre Aneignung und Adaption sowie die Rolle der Kunstgeschichtsschreibung bei der Verfolgung der räumlichen und zeitlichen Entwicklung der koreanischen Kunst an. Es bietet eine einzigartige Gelegenheit, mit führenden Wissenschaftlern und Experten auf dem Gebiet der ostasiatischen Kunstgeschichte zusammenzuarbeiten und über die globale Mobilität der koreanischen Kunst und Kultur nachzudenken.
In connection with the conference “Korean Wave(s): Global Itineraries of Korean Art”, students will have the opportunity to participate in the accompanying colloquium and attend the conference sessions, actively participate in lectures and panel discussions, and formulate questions for the speakers. The course encourages critical reflection on topics such as the role of transcultural mobility of the production and circulation of art objects, the reception of art objects, their appropriation and adaptation, and the of art historiography in tracing the spatial and temporal trajectories of Korean art. It offers a unique opportunity to engage with leading scholars and experts in the field of East Asian art history and reflect on the global mobilitities of Korean art and culture.
Theft or Artistic Prerogative? Transcultural Appropriation in Art
(Seminar, MA, 9 ECTS)
Prof. Dr. Ewa Machotka
Mittwoch, 12:15-13:45
Raum RAA-E-27
This seminar critically explores transcultural appropriation in art, focusing on both historical and contemporary exchanges between East Asia, particularly Japan, and Europe. Through case studies ranging from early modern encounters and phenomena shaped by "blended modernity" to today's global art practices, the course examines how artists borrow, adapt, and transform cultural objects, artistic techniques, and aesthetic ideas across cultures.
Key questions include: How to differentiate between reference, appropriation, and plagiarism, especially when copying was a central teaching method in pre-modern East Asian art? What defines the original versus the copy? Should these concepts be seen as universal and transhistorical, or must they be historicized and contextualized within different epistemologies of art? Is artistic borrowing an act of cultural theft? How do power imbalances-stemming from colonialism and globalization-influence the nature of cultural exchanges?
These discussions are framed within broader debates about cultural ownership and authenticity, questioning whether cultural objects can truly be "owned" in a globalized world where cultures continuously overlap and hybridize. Drawing on theories of transculturation, hybridity, and cultural ownership, the seminar investigates the role of appropriation in shaping national identities and the global art scene. It also explores the role of museums, markets, and cultural institutions in facilitating or complicating transcultural exchanges, asking critical questions about their role in reinforcing or disrupting power dynamics.
Through close readings of artworks, theoretical texts, and critical discussions, students will engage with diverse perspectives on the ethics and politics of cultural exchange, ultimately assessing how transcultural appropriation can be understood within the framework of Global Art History today.
MA Seminar Transcultural Appropriation Syllabus (PDF, 524 KB)
Iridescent Luxuries: Perspectives on Commodities as Art in East Asia
(Seminar, BA, 6 ECTS)
Dr. Stephanie Santschi & Alva Speth, M.A.
Donnerstag, 10:15-12:00
Raum RAK-E-6
Dieses BA-Seminar untersucht kritisch die Produktion und den Konsum von Kunst in und aus Ostasien durch die Perspektive der Konsumgüterkultur und Materialität.
Die Studierenden werden untersuchen, wie alltägliche Gegenstände und Luxusgüter in Kunst transformiert werden und dabei die traditionellen Grenzen zwischen Handwerk, Handelsware und bildender Kunst in Frage stellen. Der Kurs verfolgt einen kritischen Ansatz, um die komplexen Beziehungen zwischen Künstlern, Verbrauchern und dem Markt zu verstehen, die die künstlerische Produktion und den Wert beeinflussen. Durch die Analyse verschiedener Objekte wie Bildbände, Schmuck, Keramik und Textilien entwickeln die Studierenden ein differenziertes Verständnis dafür, wie Kunst in Ostasien produziert, geschätzt und konsumiert wird. Das Seminar regt darüber hinaus zu einer kritischen Reflexion über die Konstruktion eines künstlerischen Kanons und die Art und Weise an, in der die materielle Kultur gesellschaftliche Werte in der Vergangenheit und heute widerspiegelt und formt.
This BA seminar critically examines the production and consumption of art in and from East Asia through the lens of commodity culture and materiality.
Students will investigate how everyday objects and luxuries are transformed into art, challenging traditional boundaries between craft, commodity, and fine art. The course adopts a critical approach to understanding the complex relationships between creators, consumers, and the market in shaping artistic production and value. Through analysis of diverse artifacts such as illustrated books, jewelry, ceramics, and textiles, students will develop a nuanced understanding of how art is produced, valued, and consumed in East Asia. The seminar further encourages critical reflection on the construction of artistic canons and the ways in which material culture reflects and shapes societal values in the past and today.
FS25_BA Seminar_IridescentLuxuries_Syllabus (PDF, 550 KB)
Before and After Nature: Ecocritial Perspectives on Japanese Art
(Vorlesung, BA/MA, 3 ECTS)
Prof. Dr. Ewa Machotka
Dienstag, 12:15–13:45
Raum RAK-E-8
This course critically examines the relationship between visual arts and environmental history in Japan through an ecocritical lens, while problematizing the concept of "nature." It explores how the natural environment-including plants, human and non-human animals, microorganisms, and non-living elements such as air, water, soil, minerals, and sunlight-has been represented, constructed, and engaged with across different historical periods, media and uses. The course spans a wide array of artistic forms, from traditional landscape paintings, architecture, and gardens to contemporary design, sustainable architecture, and environmental art.
Japan, celebrated for its deep cultural affinities with "nature" expressed through its rich visual arts and praised for advancements in green technologies, has also been criticized for overexploitation of resources. This dual position places Japan at the center of contemporary sustainability discourse. As a result, it provides a compelling subject for exploring the interactions between human and non-human worlds in Japanese art, with a focus on pressing environmental issues such as pollution, waste, deforestation, biodiversity loss, climate change, and social inequalities.
By engaging with these themes, students will be invited to critically analyze visual artifacts, challenge conventional understandings of the nature-culture divide, and place Japanese visual culture within broader theoretical frameworks, including colonialism, nationalism, and globalization.
FS25_Lecture_Before and After Nature_Syllabus (PDF, 529 KB)
Lektürekanon in westlichen und ostasiatischen Sprachen/ Topical Readings in East Asian Art History
(Selbststudium, MA, 6 ECTS)
Prof. Dr. Ewa Machotka
The aim of this course is to expand and deepen the students’ knowledge about content, discourses, theories, and methodologies in the field of East Asian art history. The course is based on individual study of research literature selected by the instructor, and literature tailored to one's own research interests and research project (selected by a student and approved by the instructor). The students are expected to read and critically reflect on secondary sources in English and individually selected texts (optionally in one of the East Asian languages: Chinese, Japanese or Korean). They should be prepared to discuss these materials during the examination.
Upon booking this module through the regular module booking system, students are kindly requested to additionally register with the Assistants during the second week of the teaching period, using the provided registration form available on OLAT.
FS25_Topical Readings_Syllabus (PDF, 262 KB)
Exkursion: East Asian Art Collections in Geneva
(Exkursion, BA/MA, 6 ECTS)
Prof. Dr. Ewa Machotka & Dr. Stephanie Santschi
Time of preparatory meetings to be announced.
Excursion dates: Wednesday, June 11 to Thursday, June 12, 2025
This course explores the rich collections of East Asian Art objects at several museums in Geneva: the Musée d'ethnographie de Genève, the Musée Ariana and the Fondation Baur.
The three institutions keep diverse art objects produced in East Asia related to different cultural, social, spatial and temporal contexts. Through guided tours and hands-on art sessions led by museum professionals, students will engage directly with art objects, improving their object-handling skills while enhancing their abilities in visual analysis, interpretation, and critical thinking. By facilitating direct engagement with art objects, this course also seeks to deepen students’ contextual understanding of objects in a museum setting, demonstrating how art and material culture intersect with historical narratives and cultural practices related to diverse institutional contexts (e.g. art and ethnographic museum, public and private collection). For example, the course will invite reflections on the entanglements of art collections and diplomacy, a theme arising from Geneva's historical and current relevance to the globally oriented dialogue. Moreover, it provides insights into the operation of cultural heritage institutions by acquainting participants with museum practices, exhibition design, and curatorial methodologies, essential for future professional development.
The excursion will be complemented by a preparatory session before trip, as well as preparatory assignments through which students will familiarize themselves with the objects and collections kept by the three institutions, and the academic discourses relevant for the study of the objects and institutions in question.
Costs for travel and accommodation will be partially refunded.
Interested participants should contact Stephanie Santschi by email (stephanie.santschi@khist.uzh.ch) by March 15, 2025, to register for the excursion.
Application deadline: March 15, 2025.
FS25_Excursion_Geneva_Syllabus (PDF, 503 KB)
Research Colloquium in East Asian Art History
(Kolloquium MA/PhD Candidates, 3 ECTS)
Prof. Dr. Ewa Machotka
Dienstag, 14:00–15:45
Raum SOE-E-8
Research Colloquium in East Asian Art History offers a platform for MA students, doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers to develop their individual research projects. Participants will engage in the process of formulating research questions, identifying pertinent research materials and methodologies, and exploring relevant theoretical frameworks. They will have the opportunity to present their works in progress and receive feedback from their peers. Additionally, the colloquium will facilitate discussions on secondary sources relevant to both individual research projects and the broader field of East Asian Art History.
