We are excited to announce that the 2024 Asymmetry Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chinese and Sinophone Contemporary Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art goes to Dr Yayu Zheng. Yayu, a media scholar in Sinophone queer cinema and visual culture studies, will begin her two-year Fellowship this autumn term 2024 under the mentorship of Dr Wenny Teo — The Courtauld’s Senior Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Art.
Selected from an Open Call via The Courtauld earlier this year, Yayu’s research will delve into Taiwan’s ongoing queer-themed initiatives in relation to Sinophone visual culture and examine the impact and implication of such creative endeavours on the global mediascape with emphasis on queer futurity, homonationalism, and imagining alternative futures.
About Yayu Zheng
Yayu Zheng is a media scholar specialising in Sinophone queer cinema and visual culture, with a focus on geopolitics and regional power dynamics. She holds a PhD in Cinema and Media Studies from the University of Southern California. Her doctoral dissertation examines the evolving discourses of gender and sexuality in Taiwan by tracing historical and sociocultural changes from the late 1990s to the present and exploring their intersection with national identity discourses.
Prior to her PhD, Yayu graduated from the dual bachelor’s degree programme between Sciences Po Paris and the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied social sciences as well as film and media. Beyond her academic work, Yayu is also a film producer, film programmer, and film critic. Her curatorial and programming experience include independent film festivals and she has reported on major international film festivals. Yayu’s film-related articles have been featured in media outlets such as DeepFocus, The Bund, and The Paper.
About the Fellowship
The Asymmetry Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chinese and Sinophone Contemporary Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art is a dedicated postdoctoral fellowship which fosters sustained and collaborative study of Chinese and Sinophone contemporary artistic practice. This multilayered collaboration between The Courtauld and Asymmetry marks the first time in the renowned institutions’ rich history to partner with an emerging foundation, whose mission is to create a more diverse landscape in the academic and artistic arenas, to offer an opportunity for exceptional scholars to develop their research, build professional networks, gain teaching experience and become leaders in the field. The Postdoctoral Fellow will also co-organise The Asymmetry Distinguished Lecture Series and the annual Asymmetry International Symposiumamongst other exciting projects.
Granted to early career academics with a doctorate in art history or related disciplines with a strong research portfolio in Chinese and Sinophone contemporary art, the Asymmetry Postdoctoral Fellowship is a two-year fully funded role. The next round of Open Call via The Courtauld will take place in 2026.
This Fellowship at The Courtauld is one of our core initiatives in partnership with leading UK institutions and beyond, alongside the Curatorial Research Fellowship at Chisenhale Gallery, the PhD Scholarship for the ‘Advanced Practices’ programme at Goldsmiths, University of London, and the support of the Curator and Adjunct Curator posts at Tate Modern.
