I am a museum professional and art historian with a specialisation in Modern and Contemporary British Art. l am the recipient of an AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award at the University of Warwick, in collaboration with the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. My research focuses on the recent history of the British Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale through the lenses of global and national art histories, exhibition history and postcolonial theory to explore the Pavilion as site of national self-definition and redefinition.
I was the co-organiser of the AHRC M4C-funded Online Symposium ‘National Identity and Exhibition Histories: from fin-de-siècle world’s fairs to contemporary art biennials’, held in January 2023, focused on understanding the relationship between art and politics in world’s fairs, international exhibitions, missionary loan expositions, and art biennials. The symposium aimed to explore how such cultural and artistic events played a fundamental role in fostering national identities through their displays and material culture.
Prior to starting the PhD, I worked for various institutions such as IMMA – Irish Museum of Modern Art (Dublin, Ireland), V&A (London, UK), Vatican Museums – Contemporary Art Department and MAXXI – National Museum of 21st Century Arts (Rome, Italy).
Education
- PhD Candidate in History of Art, University of Warwick (2021-present)
- Second-level Master in Standards for Museum Education, University of Rome ‘Roma Tre’, Italy (2019)
- MA in Museum Studies, University of Leicester, UK (2017)
- MA in History of Art, University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, Italy (2015)
- BA in Cultural Heritage Studies, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Italy (2012)
Research Interests
- Exhibition Studies
- Biennials Studies
- Global art history
- Queer art and theory
- Feminist art and theory
- Activist practices within art institutions
- Postcolonial approaches to Art History
- LGBTQ+ History
Teaching
- Associate Lecturer, BA2/GD Art and Cold War Politics, The Courtauld Institute of Art (2023)
- Senior Graduate Teaching Assistant , ‘Exhibiting the Contemporary’ BA and MA modules in Venice, University of Warwick (Oct 2022)
Professional Experience
- Casual Collection Registrar, Tate (January 2023 – present)
- Co-Convenor of the Doctoral Researchers Network (DRN), Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art (August 2022 – August 2023)
- Assistant Curator: Collections, IMMA – Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin(February – September 2021)
- Exhibitions Assistant, Victoria and Albert Museum, London (August 2019 – December 2020)
- Collaborator, Vatican Museums – Modern and Contemporary Art Department (July 2018 – July 2019)
- Assistant Registrar (paid internship), MAXXI – National Museum of XXI Century Arts, Rome (November 2017 – April 2018)
- Curatorial Assistant (student placement), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (July 2017 – September 2017)
Conferences
- ‘Postcolonial Theory and Exhibition Histories: the Example of the British Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale’ – Department of Anthropology PhD-led Seminar, University ‘La Sapienza’, Rome, April 2022
- ‘Austerity and Muddled Optimism’: the Impact of Decolonisation on Britain’s Participation at the 1948 Venice Biennale’ – ‘Culture, Things, and Empire’ Virtual Seminar Series, online, May 2022
- ‘The British Pavilion at the 1948 Venice Biennale: National Self-Definition and the International Image of Britain’ – Visual Intersections Summer School VI, Centre for Visual Arts and Culture, Durham University, Durham, June 2022
- ‘Britain at the 1948 Venice Biennale‘ – ‘Re-Considering British Art History: The ECRN and DRN Summer Symposium’, Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, London, June 2022
- ‘Austerity and Muddled Optimism’: the Impact of Decolonisation on Britain’s Participation at the 1948 Venice Biennale’ – Global Dis:connect Summer School, Käte Hamburger Research Centre, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, August 2022
- ‘The Uneasy Rhythm of the Post-war: the 1956 British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale’ – PGR Welcome Event, University of Warwick, Sept 2022
- ‘The Uneasy Rhythm of the Post-war: the 1956 British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale’ (extended paper) –
Cultural History Workshop | Faculty of History University of Cambridge, Jan 2023 - ‘Exhibiting the Nation: the British Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale’ – Association for Art History 2023 Annual Conference, Panel: ‘Art, Empire and Nation’, UCL, London, April 2023
- ‘Exhibiting the Nation: the British Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale’ – Global Making: People, Materials, Environments, PhD Joint Research Day | Università Ca’Foscari/University of Warwick, June 2023