Federica Mirra

Dr Federica Mirra’s postdoctoral research project focuses on everyday activities beyond the art studios, galleries and institutions which enliven the city and are accessible to anyone in China, including square dancing, water calligraphy, montaged restaurants and the grassroots’ construction of temples, among others. Her research methods include fieldwork, archival research, interviews, critical theory and philosophical investigation, and qualitative, empirical visual analysis.

Mirra’s PhD project focussed on how China’s contemporary visual arts align and/or alter the understandings and imaginings of urban space beyond official narratives. It extended the existing literature on urban aesthetics by interpreting contemporary artistic and creative practices against the current ideology of the China Dream.