Academic History

My academic history is interconnected with my career as a visual artist, curating and as a lecturer of contemporary art practice and curating. After training and exhibiting as an artist with a Bachelor of Applied Arts (Honours 1st Class), I began my career in the arts industry working across arts publishing, gallery management and curating contemporary art in Beijing, China and Sydney. My academic research is distributed in various forms including creative outputs (art making and exhibiting, curating art exhibitions and events and socially engaged art projects) and written reflections in academic journals and book chapters and public speaking (symposiums, conferences and panel discussions).

From my industry experiences, I developed a research interest in the role of curating and public contemporary art in globalising cities, which later became the basis for my PhD research on The City as a Curated Space (2008-2012). The research focused on contemporary urban public art practices and influenced a new direction in my academic work, leading towards working on action research based socially engaged art projects, which considered contemporary art practices, the specific site and the community participation in developing these projects. Framed as ‘Curating Inclusive Cities’, research projects focused on how arts participation can contribute towards building community relationships, a sense of belonging and build inclusive urban spaces in intercultural global cities. These projects focused on working with individuals who often lacked opportunities to participate in arts activities such as new immigrants, children, young people (Far Flung: Connecting Intergenerational Families, 2019) and communities in the outer suburbs and regional areas (The Anonymous Sojourners in the Australian Bush, St Andrews, 2017).

In recent years, my attention has turned towards art, craft, design and curation education, focused on mentoring the next generation of creatives. Through many years of the act of practising artistic, curatorial and socially engaged projects, the creative and problem solving skills required for each project can be transferred between generations, as a way of passing on intergenerational knowledge and building a community of practice in the arts. Recent research projects involving arts education and mentoring have included the ARC Linkage Project Vital Arts: Skilling Young People for their Futures (2021-6), dây/dó (here/there) (2020-6) and Amuzeo: Digitising Museums (2021-6). I am also an academic co-ordinator for the Australasian Network for Asian Art (AN4AA). The experiences and insights gained from research in the field often makes it’s way back into the classroom, for tertiary students to consider our relationship between their arts education and working in industry.

Current Academic Position

I am currently Senior Lecturer at RMIT University, School of Art, Masters of Arts (Arts Management) specialising in curating courses and a research member of Contemporary Art and Social Transformation (CAST). I have taught courses in Curating Contemporary Art, Expanded Curating, Arts Management, Art History, Art and Global Cities, Internship and Fine Arts in Melbourne and Hong Kong.

Research Interests

  • Contemporary art and craft, art practice, public art, socially engaged art, participatory art, site-specific art, global cities, public space, immigrants and the arts, Asian-Australian diaspora, de-centred art practices, diaspora art.

  • Asian Contemporary art, Chinese contemporary art, Chinese-Australian contemporary art, Asia-Pacific contemporary art, Asian contemporary art, Asian-Australian contemporary art

  • Curating contemporary art, museology, digital museology, digital curation, Asian museology

  • Youth arts, art education, arts mentoring

Education

  • Sector Expert, Clock Your Skills, 2026

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (RMIT), School of Art, Melbourne, Victoria, thesis on the The city as a curate space 2008-11

  • Post-Graduate Certificate Art Administration, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, 2002-6

  • Chinese Language, Elementary Studies, Centre for Chinese Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 2001

  • Certificate, Teaching English as a Second Language, English Language Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS), 2000

  • Bachelor of Applied Art (Honors 1st Class), College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 1995-8, 1998 

  • Higher School Certificate, Chatswood High School, Chatswood, NSW, 1994

  • School Certificate, Chatswood High School, Chatswood, NSW, 1992

Scholarships/Awards

  • Australian Council of University Art and Design (ACUADS) Innovative Research Award, 2021

  • RMIT University School of Art Teaching Award, 2020

  • Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) Scholarship, 2008-11

  • Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) Top-up Award, 2008-11

  • Gene & Brian Sherman Masters of Art Administration Scholarship, COFA, UNSW, 2006

  • High Achievers Reception, College of Fine Arts, UNSW, 1997


Additional Training

  • Sector Expert, Clock Your Skills, Melbourne, November 2025

  • Skills Discovery Workshop, Clock Your Skills, Micro-cred Badge, Melbourne, October 2024

  • Preparing for Bundyi Girri, Microcred, RMIT University, Melbourne, July 2021

  • Building Aboriginal Cultural Competency Workshop, Koorie Heritage Trust, Melbourne, July 2021

  • Equity Planning in Culture Training, Multicultural Arts Victoria, August 2021

Research Projects

  • AMUZEO: Digitising Museums, in collaboration with RMIT Vietnam, RMIT Strategic Impact Funds Grantee (2025), 2020+

  • Phantasms for Future Ecologies, Re: Tai Kok Tsui, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2025

  • Vital Arts: Skilling young people for their futures, ARC Linkage Research Project, Chief Investigator, 2021+

  • đây/đó (here/there), Melbourne and Vietnam, 2020+

  • To the fallen trees… , The Big Anxiety Festival, One Tree Hill, Vic, 2022

  • Becoming Home, Artspace Realm, Ringwood, Vic 2022

  • Pedestrian Poetics, in collaboration with Marnie Badham, Dancing Place, Mt Corhanwarrabul, Vic, 2020

  • Far Flung: Connecting Intergenerational Families, Doncaster, 2019

  • Anonymous Sojourners in the Australian Bush, St Andrews, Victoria, 2016

  • Belonging and the Transient Home,, Public Art project, Broadmeadows, Victoria, 2016

  • Artists Incubator: Glenroy, Glenroy, Victoria, 2014-6

  • Flavours of Glenroy, Glenroy, Victoria, May, 2014

  • HK ID, Chinese Museum, Melbourne, Victoria, Curator and participating artist, 2013

  • Lumens Festival: Curating the Ancient City, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, May 2012 and Federation Square, Melbourne, Victoria, 2013-4

  • Gateway: Melbourne 2011, Chinese Museum, Melbourne, Victoria – Curator and participating artist, April, 2011

  • The Trust Project, November, 2010, awarded winner of the Design Research Institute Design Challenge

  • Alternative Worlds, North Carlton, Victoria, Researcher, June 2010

  • Lygon Street Public Art Commission, Carlton, Vic, Researcher, partnership with Victorian Multicultural Commission and Victorian Trades Hall, Dec 2010

  • Meridians: Shanghai 2010 - Shanghai, China, Curator, satellite exhibition of the Australian Pavilion, Victorian, Cultural Contribution, Shanghai World Expo, funded by the Australian International Cultural Council, Victorian Department of Innovation, Industry & Trade & Australia China Council, May 2009-10.

Books, Book Chapters & Articles