Art and Human Rights ─ Contemporary Asian Contexts

This book, written at the start of the 'Asian century', addresses a topic of enduring interest for artists, art historians and scholars of international relations: what is the role of art in society; what is the relationship between art and society? Focusing specifically on contemporary Asian art through the lens of human rights discourse and practice, it contributes knowledge about a specific moment in art history: when Asian art burst onto the world scene, in the late twentieth century.

It is a case-study approach, using key artists as exemplars of approaches and practices that mark the art community more generally. Artists selected for focus include those with a history of significant political activism, those whose work consistently reflects on or gives witness to human rights abuses and those who explore ethical relationships with others and with the natural environment.

This is one of the first surveys of the contemporary art of the region, and is organised into chapters that focus on activism, war, divided societies, the impacts of decolonisation and globalisation and the role of art in worldmaking. It makes explicit both the contexts for art and the contributions of Asian artists, within and beyond their region, to these enduring issues of humanity. It extends knowledge of art history in the region and by drawing together the biography and oeuvres of key artists and theorising their work in light of the social, political and artistic context in which they operate provides a much-needed text for students and scholars.

Caroline Turner is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow in the Research School of Humanities and the Arts, Australian National University

Jen Webb is Director of the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research in the Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra