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Dr Martin Polkinghorne

PhD (USyd), BA Hons Class 1 (Flinders), BA (Adelaide), BManagement (Uni of SA)
Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow


Martin Polkinghorne completed his PhD in 2008 at the Department of Art History and Film Studies, The University of Sydney with a focus on Angkorian architectural sculpture. Martin has conducted extensive fieldwork in Southeast Asia over the last decade, contributing significantly towards the Greater Angkor Project and has taught and lectured widely on Asian art history. In 2009 he held an Australian Government Endeavour Research Fellowship and coordinated various curatorial projects at the National Museum of Cambodia. Between 2011 - 2013 he heads a collaborative and multi-disciplinary Australian Research Council Discovery project on the medieval sculpture workshops of Angkor.

Research areas

  • Southeast Asian art and archaeology
  • Transmission and transformation of art and ideas across South and Southeast Asia
  • Historiography of early and medieval Asia
  • Art history, archaeology and contemporary critical theory

Current projects

  • The Ateliers of Angkor Project
    Australian Research Council Discovery Project (DP110101968). The art of ancient Cambodia is universally recognised for its simplicity of form, harmony of composition, attention to detail and mastery of technical execution. In a tradition that spans over eight centuries the Kings of the Khmer Empire invested great resources in making representations of the gods consistent with its ability to confer political legitimacy and fulfil spiritual necessity. Subsequently, the production methods used were often amongst the most innovative technological accomplishments of the civilisation. Yet the techniques of manufacture and the activities of the teams of artists who created these works are unknown. For the first time in Southeast Asia, an international multi-disciplinary project led by the Angkor Research Program of The University of Sydney will conduct research on Angkorian period ateliers.

Selected publications

  • Chandler, T. and Polkinghorne, M. 2012. “Temple Models and Simulated Context in a Virtual Angkor”, in Old Myths and New Approaches: Interpreting Ancient Religious Sites in Southeast Asia, Haendel, A. (ed), pp. 168 – 186, Monash University Publishing: Melbourne.
  • Polkinghorne, M. 2011. “Individuals under the Glaze: Local transformations of Indianisation in the decorative lintels of Angkor”, in Early Interactions between South and Southeast Asia: Reflections on Cross-Cultural Movements, Manguin, P.-Y., Mani, A. and Wade G. (eds.), pp. 329 – 342. University of Singapore Press: Singapore.
  • Oun Phalline and Polkinghorne, Martin, 2010. “A New Display at the National Museum of Cambodia”, in TAASA Review, The Journal of the Asian Art Society of Australia 19 (2).
  • Polkinghorne, M. 2009. “The Artists of Angkor: contemporary and medieval stone workshops in Cambodia”, in TAASA Review, The Journal of the Asian Art Society of Australia 18(4): 10 – 12.
  • Polkinghorne, M. 2009. “Ateliers in the Age of Angkor”, in Asian Currents, The Asian Studies Association of Australia's e-bulletin, July. Available online.
  • Polkinghorne, M. 2008. “Khmer decorative lintels and the allocation of artistic labour”, in Arts Asiatiques 63: 21 – 35.
  • Polkinghorne, M. 2008. “Ideal and Architects: Khmer temple pyramids, 7th to 10th centuries”, in Aséanie 21, juin: 65 – 88.
  • Polkinghorne, M. 2008. “Artists and Ateliers: Khmer Decorative Lintels of the ninth and tenth centuries”, in Udaya – The Journal of Khmer Studies 8: 219 – 242.
  • Polkinghorne, M. 2008. “The art, architecture and aesthetics of Angkor: from devout designs to divine devatas”, in R. Mackay and S. Sullivan (eds) Angkor: Heritage Values and Issues, Godden Mackay Logan Pty Ltd / The University of Sydney: Sydney, pp. 19 – 37. Available online
  • Polkinghorne, M. 2007. “Artists and Ateliers: Khmer Decorative Lintels of the ninth and tenth centuries”, in Udaya – The Journal of Khmer Studies 8: 219 – 241.
  • Polkinghorne, M. and Fletcher, R.J. 2003. "Bounded Space: The Enclosed Galleries at Angkor." TAASA Review, The Journal of the Asian Art Society of Australia 12: 6-7.
  • Polkinghorne, M. 2001 “Cosmology and Khmer Architecture at Banteay Srei”, TAASA Review, The Journal of the Asian Art Society of Australia 10:12-15.
  • PhD Dissertation is available online.

Areas of teaching and research supervision

  • The art and archaeology of Southeast Asia (Angkor Summer School ARHT2641)
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