Prof. Radu Leca
After completing a BA in Japanese Literature at Kanazawa University, Radu Leca undertook an MA and PhD in art history at SOAS, with a PhD thesis on images of outside and the other in the spatial imaginary of late seventeenth century Japan. Radu has held research positions at the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures in Norwich, the International Institute for Asian Studies in Leiden and the Institute of East Asian Art History at Heidelberg University. Radu teaches the theory and history of art at AVA, drawing inspiration from students, colleagues and the expanding art ecosystem in Hong Kong.
Radu’s initial expertise is in early modern visual and scribal cultures in Japan, with interests in images of alterity, the role of materiality and social practices, and the interplay between manuscript and print media. Radu’s other major research topic is the history of cartography in Japan, with emphasis on transcultural interactions and on cartography as a form of visual and material culture: see the co-edited volume Enduring Encounters.
A related interest lead to the AVA-hosted conference Boundary Flights: Transcultural Birds in Asia  (video recordings available here). Radu also works on the reception of Japanese art and culture in the West, as well as media studies, with a focus on philately and deltiology.
 
Current Supervision of Post-Graduate Student
Co-supervisor: TU Lang (PhD)
 
I strive for excellence in learning by enabling each student’s individual journey while nurturing critical thought and communication skills accompanied by hands-on experience with artefacts. My research and teaching rests on three principles:
 
- inciting nuanced and creative understandings of aesthetics and material culture through thematic lectures and viewing sessions.
- encouraging critical thinking and interdisciplinary curiosity in students by engaging with artefacts alongside other historical documents and everyday objects.
- dispelling stereotypes through access to multiple sources and diverse viewpoints.      
 
https://raduleca.com
Exhibition Publication Award & Achievements