It is my great privilege and pleasure to introduce the European Association for Asian Art and Archaeology (EAAA) and its monograph series European Studies in Asian Art and Archaeology.
Research in the area of Asian art and archaeology is expanding constantly, bringing with it the need for professional networks in order to enhance such researches through the exchange of information across regional as well as disciplinary lines, and to create and maintain a multidisciplinary space for the fruitful exchange of ideas regarding different types, images, and categories of Asian cultures. The Association, in fact, grew out of this need for an official platform for Asian art and archaeology in Europe, which would bring together both senior and younger scholars, researchers, curators, and all those interested in Asian art and archaeology.
It is only fitting, therefore, that we begin with a brief summary of the steps that led to the creation of the European Association for Asian Art and Archaeology. The idea of bringing together scholars of Asian art and archaeology was initially discussed during the first STCS conference (conference on Specific Topics in Chinese Studies), held at the University of Ljubljana, in June 2010. The project was then further elaborated and presented during the first Forum of East Asian Art History (Forum Ostasiatische Kunstgeschichte), at Freie Universität in Berlin, in June 2012, and followed by another brief presentation at the Face to Face conference (The transcendence of the arts in China and beyond), organized by the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon (Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade de Lisboa) in April 2013.
The first constitutional meeting was held at the Department of Asian Studies (at that time, the Department of Asian and African studies), at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana, November 2012, with a second meeting taking place during the 32nd German Oriental Studies Conference (32nd Deutscher Orientalistentag) in Münster, in September 2013. After these two meetings, the Association – which is an international, non-profit and non-political academic organization representing Asian scholars, art historians and archaeologists from Europe and elsewhere – was officially registered in November 2013, in Ljubljana. The founding members were (in alphabetical order): Nicoletta Celli (University of Bologna), Patricia Frick (Museum of Lacquer Art, Münster), Julia A.B. Hegewald (University of Bonn), Annette Kieser (Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Münster), Rui Oliveira Lopes (University of Lisbon), Shing Müller (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich), Lucie Olivova (Masaryk University), Mia Dora Prvan (University of Bonn), Hans Bjarne Thomsen (University of Zurich), Melanie Trede (Heidelberg University), Nataša Vampelj Suhadolnik (University of Ljubljana) and Elena Voytishek (Novosibirsk State University). I am pleased to say that the founding of EAAA has been very well received by scholars of Asian art and archaeology, and that its membership continues to grow, with more than 270 members currently (2018). I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all members for their support. I am confident that their continued collaboration will contribute greatly to the success and further progress of the Association.
The chief aim of the Association is to encourage and promote all academic and scholarly activities related to Asian art and archaeology in European countries. More specifically, the EAAA seeks to provide a forum for the fruitful exchange of ideas and dialogue among scholars of Asian art history, and a setting for the presentation and discussion of new and recent research. One of its main functions is organizing diverse events, including regular biennial conferences, thematic conferences, workshops, symposiums, study events, and lectures. The Association is also committed to supporting young scholars, promoting publications and exhibitions, and disseminating information and resources – of all kinds, and in all formats and media – related to Asian art and archaeology.
A separate EAAA editorial board has been set up and charged with the specific task of producing the EAAA monograph series. The members are as follows (in alphabetical order): Nicoletta Celli (University of Bologna), Maki Fukuoka (University of Leeds), Julia A.B. Hegewald (University of Bonn), Lucie Olivova (Masaryk University), Ariane Perrin (Catholic Universtiy of Paris), Hans Bjarne Thomsen (University of Zürich) and Nataša Vampelj Suhadolnik (University of Ljubljana).
The EAAA Monograph Series, entitled European Studies in Asian Art and Archaeology, aims to publish in-depth, peer-reviewed scholarly contributions on topics related to Asian art and archaeology, and situated within a wider Asian context. The series will analyze and interpret the artistic and cultural heritage of ancient, modern and contemporary social realities in Asian societies, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of the cultural, philosophical, political, sociological, religious and ideological values of Asia as a whole. The overarching goal of the EAAA Series is to publish innovative research that will have a lasting impact by posing new questions, addressing new issues and tracing new theoretical and methodological pathways in the field of art history.
The first volume of the series is entitled: Production, Distribution and Appreciation: New Aspects of East Asian Lacquer Wares. Refined lacquer ware with elaborate decoration first appeared during the Warring States period (475–221 BCE), with the oldest existing items covered by lacquer dating to the Neolithic period. The use of lacquer – a resin made from the highly toxic sap of the Rhus verniciflua tree – as a form of decoration spread quickly, becoming one of the most distinctive art forms in Asia, and is still widely used today. With the rapid growth of trade following the first European maritime expeditions to East Asia in the 16th century, Chinese and Japanese lacquer ware became one of the most sought-after commodities, generating a major export trade between these two countries and Europe. The present volume presents much new and unpublished research regarding lacquer ware production, usage, consumption and trade systems. It provides new insights into the highly diversified production and trade of lacquer ware from its origins to the 17th century, and across the entire East Asian area. We hope this first volume of the EAAA monograph series will contribute to a more profound understanding of East Asian lacquer ware and its influence on the flow of intellectual and material goods in today’s globalization processes. Seeking to understand events through a broader, global perspective is the key to greater mutual understanding among diverse peoples and cultures.
I would like to conclude this brief introduction with a personal reflection: people often ask me how my research on Han-dynasty tombs with murals can contribute to bettering society and the lives of people today. Certainly, at one level, a mobile phone or a computer are much more necessary to our daily lives than understanding Han tombs and the arcane burial customs of the society that built them, while the same could probably also be said about our appreciation of East Asian lacquer art, or East Asian classical painting and poetry. But while the impact of a painting or a poem is not as immediately evident as that of a modern electronic device, the rich and subtle rhythms expressed in these traditional art forms connect us with the inner essence of humanity. Understanding a culture’s origins and gaining insight into its aesthetic values connect us to our own history, in the widest sense, and thus to our fundamental human identity. And, ultimately, it is this shared human identity which has made possible the rapidly developing societies we live in today.
With this in mind, we hope our readers will enjoy this first volume – and all future volumes – in the EAAA monograph series.