Jiyi
- From: Daejeon, South Korea
- Studying: PhD in History of Art (full-time)
- Funding: Overseas Research Scholarship
- Supervision: Prof. Jason Edwards
What are your research interests / what are you working on?
"My research explores the art sections at the imperial exhibitions held throughout the British Empire in the interwar period (1924-38). Three ‘official’ empire exhibitions including the British Empire Exhibition in London of 1924 and 1925, the South African Empire Exhibition in Johannesburg of 1936-37 and the Scottish Empire Exhibition in Glasgow of 1938 were organised to represent imperial unity, rather than a nation or continental competition."
What has been the most fascinating part of your research so far, and why?
"My focus on the art section at the British Empire exhibitions opens a constellation of issues. The focus enables a close analysis of the public art displays at the imperial exhibitions, while also addressing the significance of the interwar period for historiography of the British Empire more broadly. In addition, the study provides a means of tracing the construction of British art history and art canons in the context of imperialism. Finally, a new consideration of the Palace of Arts at the exhibitions allows for contribution to recent art historical literature on British art by shedding light on forgotten or erased historical moments, and restores British art’s engagement with the Empire."
What background do you come to your PhD from and what made you choose your research area?
"I completed an MA in Art History and an MA in Material & Visual Culture (Anthropology), and I have explored, in a variety of colonial and postcolonial contexts, the ways in which the accumulation, circulation or adaptation of objects, as well as the dissemination of ideas and knowledge about them, shape our cultural identities and social practices. In my MA dissertations, I attempted to discern the intersecting points of imperialism, capitalism and mass consumer society, focusing on design history."
Why York rather than somewhere else?
"My desire to continue this research at York derives from the department’s strength in British art studies, particularly from an imperial perspective, and Professor Jason Edwards’ particular experience as a supervisor of PhDs in design history and the international exhibitions."
How has your experience at York broadened your horizons as an art historian?
"History of Art is a large department of the University with a variety of fields, and the faculty members are very supportive as well as intellectually stimulating. Significantly, I love the interdisciplinary atmosphere of not only the department but also the Humanities Research Centre and the Centre for Modern Studies, which has encouraged me to pull out the bricks of conventional academic disciplines."
