September 19, 2016, by Franziska Koch

Conference “Ecologies of Art”, 23-24 Sept. 2016, SOAS, London, UK

‘Ecologies of Art’ is a two-day conference intended to accelerate multi-vocal discussions on
developments in modern and contemporary art in China in the twentieth and twentieth-first
centuries. It is held in conjunction with Hong Ling: A Retrospective in the Brunei Gallery at
SOAS (14th July–24th September 2016; admission free), an exhibition occasioned by the
retirement in 2015 of the landscape painter, Hong Ling (b. 1955), from the faculty of the
prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, where he taught oil painting since 1987.
Twenty-eight international scholars gather to present research and debate a wide range of
topics including subject and genre, mediality and technique, regional and transregional
aspect of artistic practice, space and temporality, and institutional collecting and cannon
formation.
In its title, ‘Ecologies of Art’ highlights multiple aspects of place and context in modern and
contemporary Chinese art. It considers the landscape as an art subject and genre as well as
contingent environmental issues. It recognises landscape, landmarks and horizons as
features of a mode of art historical visualisation. It explores the places, situations and
contexts, including evolving forms of art space and surveillance regimes, in which art is
experienced by audiences. It examines the ecology of collecting, curating and display
practices.

Hosted by the Department of the History of Art & Archaeology at SOAS, this conference is
organised by Professor Shane McCausland and Dr Tian S. Liang. The exhibition and its
academic programme are sponsored by UNEEC Culture and Education Foundation, Taiwan,
and by the artist’s gallery, Soka Art.

All are welcome. Entrance is free but registration is essential. To register, click here.
To download the programme, click here.
Contact email: Dr Tian S. Liang tl6@soas.ac.uk.

Venue:
Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre,
SOAS University of London,
Thornhaugh St, Russell Square,
London WC1H 0XG

Times:
Friday, 23rd September 2016:
9.20am registration opens
10am–6pm + reception
Saturday, 24th September 2016:
10am–6.30pm

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