NOV 2002

VOLUME 33 - NUMBER 9

To mark the conference organized by Sotheby's Institute of Art as part of Asian Art in London, three articles this month focus on woodblock printing in East Asia. Timon Screech examines the influence of ukiyo-e artists on Japanese perceptions of the pleasure quarters in Edo. Joseph McDermott delves into the world of the woodblock carver during the Ming period. Anne Farrer provides an overview of the upcoming conference. Bronze mirrors in Korea have tended to receive less attention from scholars than their Chinese and Japanese counterparts. Charlotte Horlyck discusses the extent to which Korean mirrors were based on models from neighboring coutnries and argues that indigenous features were also incorporated into mirror designs. Indian sculpture in a museum setting is familiary to many in the West, but its true function in ritual and workship is often overlooked. The adornment of deities and their central role in temple festivals and processions are the subject of Richard Davis' essay on a decorated Shiva image.

This year the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou holds its first Triennial of Chinese contemporary art. Drawing on works included in the show, chief curator Wu Hung outlines developments in the field during the 1990s. Fellow curators Wang Huangsheng and Feng Boyi join Wu in a dialogue on the background to the exhibition.

Also in this issue is our listing of the full programme of auctions and dealer exhibitions for Asian Art in London.

FEATURES
Wu Hung. Contesting Global/Local: Chinese Experimental Art in the 1990s
Richard H. Davis. Wooden Flowers in the Museum: Reflections on a Decorated Nataraja
Charlotte Horlyck. Korean Bronze Mirrors and Their Chinese and Japanese Influences
Joseph McDermott. Woodblock Carvers of the Ming Period
Anne Farrer. Woodblock Art in East Asia
The Edo Pleasure Districts as 'Pornotopia'
INTERVIEWS
Hwang Yin and Bruce Doar. Confronting History in the Contemporary: An Interview with Wu Hung, Wang Huangsheng and Feng Boyi
COMMENTARY
Christopher Cooke. Commentary: How Far to Go?