This presentation analyzes how East Asian cultural diplomacy strategies are visually represented in the so-called "universal" museum, focusing on the galleries of China, Japan, and Korea at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) in New York from a cross-cultural perspective. Museums are spaces that visually convey cultural identity by displaying representative objects from specific time periods. When museums adopt an international and "universal" scope, exhibiting cultures from across time and geography, their cultural galleries often serve as symbols of specific nations. As a result, the display of a particular culture is closely linked to a nation’s cultural and diplomatic strategy, using cultural representations to promote national identity to the public. The galleries of China, Japan, and Korea at the Met, a major "universal" museum showcasing world cultures to global audiences under one roof, demonstrate both shared and distinct approaches in visually representing their contemporary cultural diplomacy. This discussion will address the following points: 1) Provide an overview of the cultural and diplomatic strategies of the three East Asian nations to understand the objectives behind establishing their galleries. 2) Examine the ongoing exhibits and interpretations of these cultures at the Met by analyzing key displayed objects, text panels, and labels. Using archival research on cultural diplomacy strategies and field observations at the Met as research methods, this presentation critically explores the relationship between cultural diplomacy and the representation of East Asian cultures outside of Asia.

Authors:
Sumi Kim, Hanyang University, South Korea

About the Presenter(s)
(PhD in Museum Studies, University of Leicester; MA in Museum Studies, University of Manchester; BA in History, UC Berkeley) is an Assistant Professor at the School of International Studies at Hanyang University, South Korea. Her research areas intersect museum diplomacy, cultural policy and practice, and international cultural relations. She is a member of the British Association for Korean Studies and the Korean Society of Contemporary European Studies.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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