Underpinnings, issues and challenges of art-based enquiry: A Chinese perspective

Scholars have become keenly aware of the growing importance attached to art-based enquiry in discussions of art and art education over the last two decades, and it has become a crucial topic among the Western academic community. However, it is not of major concern in Hong Kong, China or Taiwan. Only a small number of articles were found in which art-based research methodologies and methods in the Chinese context are discussed in any detailIt is evident that art-based enquiry is a topic unfamiliar to the Chinese academic community and that a re-conceptualisation of enquiry methods is called forIn light of the above, this paper provides a philosophical analysis of the discourse on the fundamental underpinning, enquiry approach and context of art-based researchIt examines topics relevant to this issue in the Chinese context. It argues that expanding discussions on art-based research will be beneficial to methodologies and methods used in the fields of both art and art educational research. Copyright © 2013 RMIT University.