Maria Phoutrides

My work focuses on modern and contemporary art of South Asia, with a particular focus on the region of Bengal. My MA thesis — "States of Legibility: Mohammad Kibria, 1950-1970" — examines how the network of exchange between Japan and Bengal has persisted and transformed through periods of decolonization and independence. It situates Kibria’s career within the historical context of Pan-Asianism and engages more recent scholarship on calligraphic modernism. I am particularly interested in scholarship that considers frameworks of analysis such as mobility, place, and networks of exchange.

• Received Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships to study Bengali during the 2017–18 academic year, summer 2018, and the 2018–19 academic year.
• Given a Pell Research Award for research related to MA thesis.
• Selected by the Division of Art History for a de Cillia Graduating with Excellence Award.

Thesis information on Showcase website.