Written by Jessica Wan, MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts

Q. Where are you based?

A. I am a Hong Kong-born, London-based curator.

Q. Tell us a little about your work and what we can see in this year’s Graduate Showcase and physical exhibition.

A. Since the pandemic, my curatorial projects have been focused on mixed reality, merging the real and virtual world to engage with viewers in interactive and innovative ways. At the beginning of this year, I co-curated Rethinking: British Design from the Camberwell ILEA Collection at Chelsea Space. Moving away from the preconception of a “Good” design, this display offered an experience for viewers to build a relationship with objects they physically encounter and simultaneously participate in related discussions on digital platforms.

Another exhibition I worked on is No Thing is Waiting, which opened on 8 August 2021 and was conceived as part of the Testing Ground collaboration between UAL and the Zabludowicz Art Trust. The concept of altering and resetting our circadian rhythm comes from my personal experience of time being increasingly quantified and measured during the lockdown. I wanted to explore an alternative pace of life to Zoom schedules and booking systems in a post-pandemic world. In response to this, No Thing is Waiting proposes that our experience of time could be reconstructed through engaging with artworks that embody processes and continuation. Bringing together 17 multi-generational artists, the exhibition immerses the viewer momentarily into the life of objects situated in a landscape awash with blue shades. Connecting the digital with the real, we had a live performance by artist Able Zhang participating virtually from his studio in Shanghai and joined by a performer at the exhibition space. Concurrently, we created a virtual space that hosts screenings and digital art. At odds with the general assumption of the online as atemporal and eternal, the microsite was set to exist only for the duration of the physical exhibition and transition over this period. For those who are interested in digital native works, read this artist interview I have done with aaajiao.

For the upcoming MA graduate show, I’m curating with my year group on Reverberations: A Response to the Her Noise Archive, a physical and online exhibition that investigates radicality within noise and sound art, in the digital age. It features contributions from BAME and gender-queer practitioners to cultivate an intersectional legacy of feminism within sound arts. Chelsea Space, a public gallery located inside of Chelsea College of Arts will be transformed into a radio station hosting film screenings, DJ sets, talk shows and performances that re-define notions of ‘DIY’ and ‘counterculture’ in 2021.

Q. How have you found the process of producing your work under these unusual circumstances?

A. The pandemic has fast-tracked the progress of digitalisation, for example, remote working and learning, virtual events and online exhibitions. It also brings attention to issues around data privacy, automation and online disinformation. For curators, new technology is a challenge and opportunity because it profoundly changes our understanding of temporality and our participation in future exhibitions. One of the things I focus on is to find ways for the audience to experience ‘liveness’ and ‘togetherness’ in virtual spaces despite being scattered around the globe.

My MA study has been a valuable time to engage with academic and intellectual debate, and imagine different possibilities for a far-sighted way to tackle the challenges facing our society. I have learned that creative actions and critical reflection can help us think differently about our relationship to the difficult choices and major opportunities ahead.

Q. What are your post-graduation plans?

A. I want to continue exploring a relational and interdisciplinary approach to exhibition-making, furthering the dialogue between the East and West through working with artists and archives globally. To that end, I want to work with like-minded creatives and initiative projects that respond to the evolving identities and cultural values in contemporary society.

Related Links:

• See Jessica's work in the Graduate Showcase
• Email Jessica
• Follow Jessica on Instagram
• UAL Graduate Showcase

The UAL Graduate Showcase

The UAL Graduate Showcase is the place to discover the newest names in art, design, fashion, communication, media and performing arts.

View, interact with and buy original work from around the world, look out for our exciting online events and get to know our brilliant students.

Visit the UAL Graduate Showcase 2021

Post-Grad Community at UAL

UAL is home to more than 2,400 postgraduate students working across the fields of art, design, screen, communication, fashion, media and performance.  Within our six world-renowned colleges, we aim to form a creative network of artists, designers and innovators.

Post-Grad Community is an inclusive platform for UAL postgraduate students to share work, find opportunities and connect with other creatives within the University and beyond.

Post-Grad Stories

A thriving online magazine of our postgraduate student voices sharing thought-provoking experiences, practices, thoughts and articles about what matters to them.

Download the PDF Guide to writing articles for Post-Grad Stories

Want to write an article? Get in touch with the Post-Grad Community team PGCommunity@arts.ac.uk