Registered attendees of the lecture series are encouraged to attend in-person in Samsung Hall. Otherwise, registered attendees can attend via Zoom. Drop-ins for individual lectures are only available in-person in Samsung Hall on a space available basis. Drop-ins for individual lectures are not available on Zoom. Each lecture in the lecture series is organized as a separate Zoom webinar. A Zoom webinar confirmation email with information on how to join each week’s webinar will be sent to all registered attendees 2 or 3 days before each lecture. Even though it is not required by Zoom, we recommend that you download and install Zoom on your computer or mobile device in advance, and set yourself up with a free account. Attendees will have a chance to participate in the Q&A via Zoom Q&A. Read our Arts of Asia Zoom Webinar FAQs.
Arts of Asia Lecture Series
Arts of Asia Spring 2027 What is Beauty? Asian Art Across Cultures and Time
“Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are eternity and you are the mirror.”
– Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
What is beauty? How do shared ideas of beauty emerge, and how do they change across cultures and through time? Our next Arts of Asia lecture series will explore these questions through art from different Asian cultures and historical periods. Our speakers will consider how beliefs, traditions, and exchanges between cultures shape concepts of beauty, and how artists reflect or challenge these ideas.
In China, how do the cosmopolitan tastes of Tang elites and the reflective ideals of Song scholar-artists express different ideas of beauty? In India, how did the meeting of Persian and Indian artistic traditions at the Mughal court shape new artistic expressions? In Japan, how did tea culture encourage an appreciation for simplicity and irregularity?
The series will also ask us to consider our own viewpoints: why we find certain things beautiful, and how looking at Asian art can change our ways of seeing.
The schedule of speakers and topics will be published on this webpage as soon as it is finalized.
Registration will open soon.
Attendance
Registration Policies
The Society for Asian Art’s cancellation policy requires at least one week’s advance written notice in order to receive a refund of registration fees. This excludes our Travel programs, which have separate cancellation policies, as well as any programs where a specific refund policy is stated on the event page. Your fees will be returned to you through a check in the mail. To cancel, please contact us.
For programs located within the Asian Art Museum, the museum entrance fee must be paid separately and is not included with your registration fee.
Please note that by registering for a program, you are giving consent to the SAA to be photographed or videoed as a participant.
