KOREA FOUNDATION

KF Internship Report from London, UK

As an intern here at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, my primary focus is preparing the new Korea Gallery rotation opening in July and writing articles on Korean gardens. I am also responsible for assisting and supporting the curator of the Korea Gallery as needed.

  My duties here also include completing paperwork to process new acquisitions, classifying objects in the storage space, and requesting assessment of the objects to the Conservation Department. As there has been a growing focus on Korean contemporary crafts at V&A recently, at times I have introduced outstanding Korean artists to the museum. This has in turn led to further discussions over collecting the artists’ work and even resulted in the successful acquisition of new pieces for the museum collection.

  In May, I had several opportunities to attend events in London. I went to the opening ceremony of the Loewe Craft Prize with some of the V&A curators and met the Korean artists who were selected as the finalists for the coveted award. During London Craft Week, I also had the chance to visit an exhibition at the Korean Cultural Centre and the Han Gallery, where they had a showcase of Korean crafts. Through these events I have come to understand that a curator’s job is not limited to maintaining collections at the museum but also extends to networking and interacting with the galleries and the artists. These were great eye-opening experiences for me.

  It’s been more than four months since I began my internship at V&A, but I still manage to get lost in the vastness of the museum. There are many galleries that I have yet to see, so I try to keep myself busy, viewing and learning as much as I can. Some time ago, Director Lee Suyon of the KF Berlin Office visited London to meet me and Choi Hyojin, an intern working at the British Museum, and offered us warm encouragement. During my remaining days here at V&A, I am excited to keep working hard and take advantage of all the diverse experiences open to me.

KF Museum Internship Victoria and Albert Museum in London Sung Dasom

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