Meet: Victoria Iungerich

Central Saint Martins (CSM) graduate Victoria Iungerich has recently developed an augmented reality (AR) gallery app, Mokosh AR Gallery, to allow emerging artists to exhibit anywhere.

The project started in 2015 when Victoria launched Arts Aggregate, a non-profit which supports and promotes emerging artists and art professionals at the beginning of their careers. This grew to include a nomadic gallery, Mokosh Gallery, and in 2021 Victoria developed the AR gallery app, the “ultimate nomad gallery”.

Victoria graduated with Master of Business Administration (MBA) at CSM in 2021.

In her own artistic practice, Victoria often uses materials and techniques strongly associated with feminine crafts and occupations, which are tied to her experience growing up in Ukraine. Her work has been exhibited in San Diego, Los Angeles, London, and Edmonton, Canada.

Victoria recently spoke to us about her time on the MBA and how it has helped both her practice and the Mokosh AR Gallery app.

You’ve recently graduated with an MBA from CSM. What was your experience like?

In my early life, I could never imagine having such an opportunity. This MBA facilitated my growth and creativity from a business perspective. It was great for my professional experience. Particularly our project on researching and building a business case for Crisis. I was able to use this project for my portfolio - it is a great case study that I can use to show off my new skills. Completing this programme gave me more confidence in myself and my abilities and pushed me to take more risks to pursue my entrepreneurial ideas. I learned new approaches to project management, business development, and leadership which opened up even more opportunities for my career. I made many new friends and expanded my network; I’ve stayed in touch with and built new connections with many very interesting people who’ve contributed to the development of this programme. This MBA was a fruitful and fulfilling experience.

What was your background before starting at CSM?

I was born in the former Soviet Republic of Ukraine and grew up in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union in the region that is now known as Transdnistria. In 1992 my family and myself were caught in the middle of a civil war in that region. The civil war and the fact that this republic remains unrecognised until this day means that we had very few opportunities. It felt hopeless. Looking back, I realised that to build the better life and career I felt I could have, I had to take enormous risks. And quite often, I did not have the luxury of time or resources to fully evaluate all the possible consequences. However, I am grateful for the wisdom I possessed that aided me throughout my journey during those times.

Eventually, I got accepted to UCSD where I spent 4 years studying chemistry and computer science. However, after going through a long period of depression, I decided to take an art class. Two weeks into this 2D design course and after the completion of my first ink drawing, I switched my major to visual arts which eventually led me to this programme!

And you’ve now developed an augmented reality (AR) gallery, Mokosh AR Gallery app. Can you tell us more about this?

After the start of the pandemic and all the restrictions that followed, it became harder than ever for emerging artists to show their work. And participating in the exhibits, having open studios, inviting people to physically see the work is a traditional way to sell the work.

While COVID affected everyone in the art community, I believe it was slightly easier for established artists, as many collectors have already been familiar with their work and thus established artists rely less on the exhibitions to sell their work, and more on the dealers and the galleries they are signed with to make the sales.

Having established some networks in the developers’ community in London, I was exposed to new trends in digital start-ups. That is where I saw the opportunity to pivot the work of Arts Aggregate into the digital space and to transform Mokosh Gallery into an ultimate nomad gallery.

You can download the Mokosh AR Gallery app on Apple Store or on Google Play.