Joyce Yusi Zhou

Joyce Yusi Zhou studies the visual and material culture of 17th and 18th century Jakarta, Indonesia — formerly known as Batavia under Dutch colonial rule. Her dissertation recuperates the lives of Asian and Eurasian women in early modern Batavia through an object-based analysis of art and material culture. By examining a range of objects and images associated with specific female sitters, owners, patrons, or makers, her dissertation unpacks the intricate connections that once existed between material objects and the individuals to whom they mattered. Joyce grew up in Beijing (China), Rome (Italy), and Bangkok (Thailand). She holds an M.A. in Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture from the Bard Graduate Center, and a B.A. in Art History and the Interdisciplinary Project in the Humanities (IPH) from Washington University in St. Louis.