Thesis title:ÌýGaming, Parody, Performativity: Play Culture in Contemporary Chinese Art
Supervised byÌýDr. Wenny TeoÌý(The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Institute of Art)
Funded by
My research delves into the impact of global ludic culture on the production and consumption of contemporary art in China. Focusing on the generation of artists born in the 1980s – in the wake of China’s economic and social reforms – I examine how artistic tactics of gaming, parody and performativity serve to undermine existing preconceptions surrounding questions of subjectivity, community and political engagement in China.
My thesis also addresses the blurring lines between high art and mass culture, examines the power of the internet in China as a counter-public space, and problematises the perception of the artist as an agent of social change and political critique. In addition, I explore how considering art as a form of play allows us to reformulate notions of participation and public interaction both in China and in the global contemporary art world.
Education
- 2020–present: PhD Candidate, CHASE AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership, The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Institute of Art
- 2017–2018: MA History of Art (Global China), The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Institute of Art
- 2013–2016: BA Ancient and Modern History, Trinity College, University of Oxford
Research Interests
- Ludology and digital play
- East Asian visual arts and geopolitics
- Mediated gender identity and performativity
- Gaming and virtual worldbuilding
- Memes and laughter
- Networked society and cyberspace
- Affective fandom and immaterial labour
- Experience economy and global culture industry
- Sinofuturism and techno-orientalism
Publication
Teaching
- 2023: Associate Lecturer, HistoriesÌý(BA2)
- 2022-3: Teaching Assistant, FrameworksÌý(BA2)
- 2022: Teaching Assistant,ÌýFoundationsÌý(BA1)
- 2021: Teaching Assistant, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Summer University
- 2021: Guest Lecturer, Global ChinaÌý(MA) andÌýBody, Space and Power in Contemporary Chinese ArtÌý(BA)
Awards
- 2020-2023: CHASE Doctoral Training Partnership
- 2016: Kevin Knox Prize, Trinity College, University of Oxford
Other Academic Activities
- 2022-2023: Editor-in-Chief,ÌýimmediationsÌý
- 2021-2022: PhD Student Union Representative
- 2020: Co-Founder,