About me
Guided by curiosity, Grace is an art historian and curator interested in uncovering stories held by objects overlooked or dismissed by history. Her research interest lies in seeking out the 'space between' - the complex web of connections between material and immaterial culture.
Projects
- Carried Away: Bags UnpackedWho carries a bag? And who doesn't? What are the value and meaning of bags? Carried Away: Bags Unpacked explores the symbolism and power behind bags and bag-making tradition in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Curated by Grace Lai, it is the first exhibition in the new gallery space, Auaha Atea Nui and is a visual feast featuring over 150 bags from over thirty countries, with a spotlight on locally designed and made bags. The accompany publication serves as a visual catalogue and features an essay also pe
Work history
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Curator of Applied Arts & DesignAuckland Museum
Auckland, New ZealandFull Time
As the Curator of Applied Arts and Design at Auckland Museum, Grace leads the exhibition, curation and development a nationally significant collection of key makers and designers from New Zealand and abroad. This includes a wealth of objects from Asia, including a significant collection of ceramics from historic Korea and contemporary Japan.
Her collection-based research interrogates the history and social structures inherited by the objects held in Applied Arts and Design collection - questioning why we, as individuals and as part of an institution, collect what we collect. Recent areas of interests focus on vessels – studio glass, pottery and bags. More broadly, Grace is driven by in building alternative accounts of art often forgotten as a result in the inequality of knowledge – locating Chinese-New Zealand artists, as well as, the influence of Korean ceramics on local pottery tradition.
Skills
- Curating
- Research
- Writing
- Exhibition Curation
Education
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Masters of ArtsSOAS, University of London
- London, United Kingdom
Alphawood Scholar 2015/2017