Lingyi Liu, '18 – Studying Away into Art

As she looks ahead to her study-away year in New York, Lingyi Liu '18 tells how a summer internship at a Shanghai private museum has given her a new focus.

This summer I interned in the exhibition department of Shanghai Project, a biennale organized by Shanghai Himalayas Museum.

I learned what it takes to be a museum curator. I was also responsible for handling research and coordination with artists. I learned a lot from my supervisor’s advice and now with a clearer plan for my future, I am looking at graduate school programs.

My interest in the art world was sparked last semester by Professor Tarocco’s course, Contemporary Arts and New Media in China. I explored places like the Long Museum, Rockbund Museum and the Power Station of Art, in Shanghai. It was in this class that I discovered one of my favorite Chinese contemporary artists, Zhang Shengquan. He was a performance artist who received little recognition during his lifetime and was only recently given a big retrospective show here in Shanghai.

This spring, I will be studying literature and contemporary art in New York. I have never been to the US before, and am looking forward to gaining an insight into western art after being immersed in Chinese contemporary art here in Shanghai.

I’m excited to explore museums like MoMA and The Met with many of my friends who will be there at the same time. I would love to obtain an internship in NY with a private museum or gallery, and after that I am planning to spend a semester in Europe -- either in Paris or Madrid.

I know I’m going to discover a lot about myself and the art world through studying away. At the moment, I am thinking of pursuing a career as a curator or art broker, or maybe even both.