Photography in Southeast Asia: A Survey
A vital and long-overdue mapping of photographic practices across Southeast Asia, Photography in Southeast Asia: A Survey traces the medium’s evolution from its colonial introduction to its contemporary expressions. Beginning with the early transfer of photographic technology between visiting practitioners and local image-makers, the book unfolds a layered narrative of adaptation, resistance, and reinvention across the region.
Illustrated with over 200 photographs, the publication is structured through dedicated chapters on Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Moving from the postwar period to the present, it foregrounds photographers who assert strong agency and autonomy expanding the boundaries of what photography has been allowed to be. In doing so, the book reconsiders the historically narrow definitions between art and photography, positioning the medium as both a critical artistic practice and a lens into Southeast Asia’s cultural, social, and political realities.
Zhuang Wubin brings a deeply informed curatorial voice to this survey. As a writer, curator, and artist, his research driven approach situates photography within broader regional narratives, offering readers not only a chronology, but a framework for understanding how images shape and reflect lived experience.
Who is this for?
This book is essential for photographers, artists, curators, and students seeking a deeper understanding of Southeast Asian visual culture. It will also resonate with collectors, researchers, and anyone interested in how photography intersects with history, identity, and contemporary artistic practice in the region.
"... an innovative approach to a medium that is often not considered an 'art form' and is therefore overlooked in surveys of Southeast Asian art history... this original study also offers an insight into the role of images and visuality in shaping Southeast Asian society, culture and politics." — Nora Taylor
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Language: English
Format: Hardcover | 524 pages
Dimensions: 235 x 187mm
Publication Year: 2016 | Reprint 2017
ISBN 978-981-47-2212-4
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