All the World is Here!

The Stages of Asia’s Exposure to the West

The World’s Fairs and other international exhibitions provide a fascinating and flexible vehicle with which to explore the interaction between Asian cultures and the West. Exhibitions have always been a primary venue for learning about other cultures, and as we will see, fairs and other exhibitions allow us to explore multi-directional inspirations and influences, richly illustrated through many types of stunning media.

For the purpose of this exhibition, the early history of Western exposure to Asian cultures can be divided into three main stages: (1) The emergence of Asian trade with the West, sometimes referred to as the “Tea Trade,” in the 18th and 19th centuries; (2) the establishment of private museums to bring exotic (and profitable) exhibitions of Asian artifacts to mesmerized audiences in the US and Europe, and (3) true “world’s fairs” and other international exhibitions that included Asian countries. Examples drawn from these three stages can be examined in the following pages.