Yulia.i – Independent Art Curator

I’m an independent art curator based in London. It’s a varied role, as it combines project management and creative direction. One week I can negotiate with venues or work on transportation logistics, and the next I am visiting artists’ studios, writing exhibition proposals or travelling for an art fair. At the moment I am working on a touring exhibition to celebrate the centenary of the Magistrates Association titled 2020 Vision: 100 Years of Justice.

It has been a very long and winding road! Over the years I have worked in graphic design, event management, operations, marketing and project management across multiple industries including advertising, publishing, entrepreneurship support, conference management and healthcare marketing. I won’t list my entire CV, but I want to highlight key moments that have equipped me to do what I do now:

During the second year of my degree, I did a semester abroad at FIT in New York. I fell in with the graffiti and street art crowd and spent 5 months meeting both emerging and established artists, attending lots of underground shows and learning how the scene operates there. When I came back to London, I formed an art collective ‘Side Effects’ with my LCC mates and organised a few exhibitions.

After graduating in 2009, I spent 2 years at a startup called NACUE that was dedicated to promoting and supporting student entrepreneurship. As their Operations Director, I managed systems and workflows, and two annual conferences. I learnt how to bootstrap, how to get in-kind support and that ‘organising’ wasn’t common sense, it was a skill and a career.

A few years in conference management allowed me to refine my project management skills, learn how to work with and manage a team, how to sell and how to manage venues.

About 3 years ago I quit the office work world and got back to my original passion, which is art. I invested a lot of time into reading book and articles, listening to podcasts, attending talks and exhibitions. I began with small self-initiated projects, and one of them led to my first paid curator gig.

Everything… I ‘structure’ the job myself, so I design it to fit my needs and wants. I love working independently to have full control of my time, my objectives, and my day-to-day.

In terms of the curating itself – I believe in art as a tool for positive change, so I choose projects that involve some positive social impact. That’s a big motivation for me, and it’s very rewarding.

I miss it a lot!!! I had a great time, and I met my closest friends.

One of the key things I only realised in hindsight was how transferrable the theory was! I used to find it annoying during projects in class, but once I began working in entrepreneurship I saw how relevant and invaluable it was. Now it’s called design-thinking and lauded as the future of everything.

What are your plans for your career in the future?
I am working on developing my art writing, that’s a big focus for me at the moment. In the future, I’d like to work on some international projects.

For current students:

Working from home:

Website (currently being redesigned): yulia-i.com

Instagram: @yulia_i

Video of one of Yulia’s projects, Lifted: https://youtu.be/xTrQJ1TDWaY