Visual Resources Curator Yan Zhou has taught at Kenyon since 2006. He teaches courses on Asian art history with a particular emphasis on modern and contemporary Chinese art. His research focuses on Chinese contemporary art in the context of globalization and post-colonialism. He has published widely in Chinese scholarly journals and in English in such journals as Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art.
Areas of Expertise
Modern and contemporary art, Chinese art history.
Education
2005 — Doctor of Philosophy from The Ohio State University
1995 — Master of Arts from The Ohio State University
1986 — Master of Fine Arts from China, Cntrl Academy Fine Arts
1982 — Bachelor of Philosophy from China, Sun Yat-sen University
Courses Recently Taught
ARHS 238
Modern Chinese Art
ARHS 238
At the time when China faced its largest challenge in history in terms of sovereignty, dignity and culture, its art experienced importation of Western forms and aesthetics. The two artistic traditions clashed, coexisted and were integrated. Chinese artists then attempted to infuse their art with the cultural identity of China. To understand the artistic impact of the West and China's reaction to it, we will investigate this journey from its beginning, the Opium Wars to 1949, when China moved forward from a feudal empire to a republican nation in a turbulent century. This counts toward the intermediate course requirement for the major. Prerequisite: ARHS 111, 114 or permission of instructor.
ARHS 239
Contemporary Chinese Art
ARHS 239
The year 1949 was a watershed moment in 20th-century Chinese art, with the founding of the People's Republic of China. Art, therefore, experienced dramatic changes from the 1950s to the present. In this course, we will investigate the journey from ideologically oriented art to the art of the Cultural Revolution, and from the post-Mao period and the avant-garde movement to art in an era of urbanization in a global context. This counts as an intermediate-level course for the major. Prerequisite: ARHS 111, 114 or permission of instructor.
ARHS 240
History of Chinese Painting
ARHS 240
China has a painting tradition that spans of thousands of years, mainly painting on silk or paper, using brush and ink. As different subject matter (mountains-and-waters, flowers-and-birds, and human figures) and techniques (ink, color, and brushwork based in conjunction with calligraphy) developed, the artists’ practice was guided by underlying aesthetics. Starting in the Tang Dynasty, mountains-and-waters transformed from merely a backdrop to figure painting to an independent subject, reaching its height in Song Dynasty. Literati painting was established in the Yuan Dynasty, but it would form the mainstream of painting in the Ming Dynasty, ultimately becoming orthodoxy in Qing Dynasty, which eccentric artists tried to both break and yet revive the older tradition. This intermediate-level course will investigate the development of Chinese painting in various cultural contexts, in order to let students to understand its history, its cultural connotations and its significance in the history of world art. This course counts toward the intermediate course requirement for the major. Prerequisite: ARHS 111, 114 or permission of instructor.
ARHS 377
Topics in Modern Art
ARHS 377
This seminar probes specific problems in modern European and contemporary art. Focusing upon a theme, artist or movement, the course will provide a forum for the in-depth study of the methods of art historical research. Discussion of weekly readings, classroom presentations and research papers will be required. This counts toward the advanced course requirement for the major. This course can be repeated up to two times for credit, so long as they cover different topics. Prerequisite: ARHS 111 or equivalent.
Academic & Scholarly Achievements
2015
Journey of Culture: Wenda Gu and His Art, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, 2015.
2012
“Art Institution: Critique and Its Institution,” Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art (quarterly), Vancouver, Canada, March 2012.
2006
“Chinese Brand and Chinese Method: On the Exhibition The Wall: Reshaping Contemporary Chinese Art,” Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art (quarterly), Vancouver, Canada, March 2006.
1993
“Gu Wenda’s Oedipus,” exhibition catalogue Fragmented Memory – The Chinese Avant-Garde in Exile, Columbus, Ohio: Wexner Center for the Arts, OSU, 1993.
2009
“Interview with Zhou Yan on Chinese contemporary art in the 1980s” (a 7’21” passage), July 10, 2009, Beijing, by Asia Art Archive, HK. Watch on YouTube.