Yin Ker

Biography

Yin Ker owes her training in art history to the University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV), France, where she completed her doctoral dissertation on the Buddhist art of Myanmar's pioneer modern painter, Bagyi Aung Soe (1923–90) in 2013. In parallel, she studied Burmese language and civilisation at the National Institute of Oriental Languages & Civilisations (INALCO) (Paris, France, 2000–01). She was also trained in Buddhist studies at the International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University and the International Institute of Abhidhamma (Yangon, Myanmar, 2009–10). Prior to her current appointment, she was assistant professor for art history at Nalanda University (Rajgir, India, 2014), teaching assistant for Asian art history at Nanyang Technological University (2006–09) and lecturer for modern and contemporary Southeast Asian art at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, (Singapore, 2008–09). In 2006, she was assistant curator at Singapore Art Museum (National Art Gallery Singapore). Her projects as independent researcher, curator and translator include "Video, an Art, a History 1965–2010, A Selection from the Centre Pompidou and Singapore Art Museum Collections" (Paris, Singapore, 2010–11), "plAy: Art from Myanmar Today" (Singapore, 2010) and "Montpellier-Chine: Biennale of Contemporary Chinese Art" (Montpellier, 2003–04). Her research interests include “art” and “art history” as variable constructs, the intersections of ancient and modern methods of knowledge- and image-making, and ways of telling (hi)stories of art. In parallel with theoretical research within and beyond the discipline of art history, she explores image-making through drawing and painting.

Research Interest

Yin Ker works on narratives of art beyond the Euramerican canon, in particular, images classified as "Buddhist art" and artistic productions from South and Southeast Asia. To further her understanding of art, the artist and the history of art in these areas as variable constructs, she is currently examining the historiography of art in modern times, as well as ancient notions of material culture labelled as "art" today. She is keen to rethink art beyond the dichotomies of the pre-modern versus the modern, the sciences versus the fine arts, and spiritual experience versus scientific thinking, for example.