An accomplished curator, Liz Park (MFA ’07) wants to highlight art made in Vancouver.
Liz entered UBC’s BFA Visual Art program with the intention of becoming a practicing artist. When she finished the program in 2005, she decided to pursue a master’s degree in curatorial studies.
“This decision seemed logical to me because I was often encouraged to explore aspects of art practice that went beyond the production stage during my undergraduate studies. Thinking about the reception, display, and contextual framework for my own work led me to consider curatorial practice as an extension of my art practice.”
Having just finished her first year of the curatorial studies program at UBC, Liz had the opportunity to participate in a collaborative project with UBC’s MFA candidates and other CCST students. They organized an exhibition titled Common Room at Belkin Satellite gallery, with the support of the department, the Belkin, and UBC’s student society. This project offered many lessons – practical and theoretical – in organizing an art exhibition.
Liz is currently researching for the next exhibition she will be curating, which will be for her graduate practicum. The graduate exhibition will reflect what has been her main area of research for the past 5 years she spent living in Vancouver and attending UBC. Liz’s focus will be on situating certain art productions in Vancouver in the context of colonial conditions and its complex relationship with the current state of multiculturalism.
“I’m interested in bringing together works that point to the rifts in the social metanarratives of a place like Vancouver whose history is built on colonial activities and immigration.”
