Aphrodite in Miniature and the Embodied Figurine

Research Postgraduate Seminar

Aphrodite in Miniature and the Embodied Figurine 

Date: 6 December 2023 (Wednesday)
Time: 4:00-5:30pm 
Venue: CPD 3.16, The Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU
Speaker: Ryan Ho, PhD candidate, HKU

Abstract

This project introduces a selection of miniature Graeco-Roman figurines of Aphrodite/Venus, from the Late Classical and Hellenistic periods and combines both formal and contextual approaches to studying these objects with more recent theories of embodiment in classical art history. As “embodied objects” of handling, these figurines intimately engage with and invite a direct process of sensory engagement with the viewer/handler in their use. They encourage and respond to fantasies of sculpted objects transformed into living, conscious subjects capable of possessing an animated agency in relation to those who use them. By examining these cult figurines in their original contexts and in these “embodied” terms, this project aims to reconsider and interrogate ancient and modern engagements with this material genre and explore the ways in which their appeal to tactility serves as evidence for the importance of haptic modes of image-making and viewing in Graeco-Roman visual culture.

Speaker

Ryan Ho is a second-year PhD candidate in the Department of Art History at The University of Hong Kong. He has a background in Art History and Visual Arts, receiving his MA from The University of Hong Kong and BA from The University of Chicago, respectively. As an independent researcher, digital developer, and multidisciplinary creative, Ryan has executed projects for a wide range of academic and cultural institutions, startups, and global brands alike.

https://arthistory.hku.hk/index.php/event/aphrodite-in-miniature-and-the-embodied-figurine/