Funding: Gabo Trust Scholarship

About Me 

I graduated in Art History from the Art History Department of Moscow State University in 2011. I then began my practical career as a junior expert at The Grabar State Art Conservation Center in Moscow, specialising in technical art history and attribution of paintings and works of art on paper. 

For the past eight years, I worked as Senior Registrar, Collection Manager, and Installation Supervisor at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, one of Russia's leading contemporary art institutions. My responsibilities included a wide range of conservation processes - condition documentation, installation supervision, and organising conservation treatment - while serving as the primary liaison between artists and the museum. Following the Garage Museum's anti-war statement in February 2022, I transitioned to archival research on the works of architect Aleksey Shchusev (1920s). After leaving Russia later that year, I lived in Germany, collaborating with the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, before moving to London. 

My Motivations 

My studies ignited a fascination with the materiality of art, particularly the ways artists' choice of materials and techniques reflect their intentions. This interest has shaped my career, driving me to explore how materials evolve over time, influencing their preservation and raising questions of authenticity.

While working on exhibitions at the Garage Museum, especially the Louise Bourgeois show and a major Kinetic art retrospective, I became deeply interested in contemporary sculpture. These experiences revealed how modern sculpture expanded the range of materials used, posing new challenges for conservators.

In 2019, I launched the "Garage Pro" programme in contemporary art conservation, pioneering such efforts in Russia. The programme included a conference on plastics and the international "Plastic Identification Workshop" in 2021. It aimed to foster collaboration among conservators and curators while addressing the challenges of preserving modern sculptures and design objects in Russia. This initiative deepened my commitment to the conservation of new materials.

Since 2018, I have regularly attended Modern and contemporary art restoration conferences. UCL's MSc in Conservation and Contemporary Art offers an unparalleled education in the newest and best conservation strategies. I have long followed Professor Pip Laurenson's work and see this programme as the ideal next step in my career, offering practical training and the opportunity to build a professional portfolio under the supervision programme's staff.

Image: Photograph taken by Alesia's former colleague at Garage museum during the installation of the Huang Yong Ping artwork American Kitchen and Chinese Cockroaches, 2019.
 

My Aspirations 

I am committed to becoming a museum conservator, where I can merge my practical experience with the advanced knowledge gained from UCL. An internationally recognised degree will deepen my expertise in conservation theory and practice and better enable me to support artists in realising their vision.   

The Gabo Trust Scholarship 

Financial concerns due to my immigration and career transition made the Gabo Trust Scholarship crucial to my enrolment. This generous support has alleviated financial pressures, allowing me to concentrate on my studies fully. 

But the scholarship goes beyond financial aid; my identity is enriched as a Gabo Trust Scholarship recipient. It resonates with my academic interests and Naum Gabo's legacy. Just as Gabo's sculptures reflect movement and change, my journey at UCL represents a dynamic process of growth and adaptation. The scholarship has fostered my sense of responsibility and connected me to a broader network of researchers who share my passion for unconventional art materials and their preservation. 

About Me 

I graduated with a BA in Drawing from Camberwell College of Arts (UAL) in 2019. After working in various roles across small galleries in London, I joined Tate in 2021 as an Art Handling Technician. This role introduced me to the intricate challenges of caring for contemporary artworks and sparked my passion for conservation. 

My background as an artist working with textiles, metal, and plaster, combined with my time at Tate handling large-scale installations such as Cornelia Parker’s Thirty Pieces of Silver (1988–89), Lubaina Himid’s A Fashionable Marriage (1986), and Mark Dion’s Tate Thames Dig (1999), informed my interest in the materials artists use and how to preserve them. UCL’s MSc programme felt like a natural fit, enabling me to delve deeper into the conservation of these materials and the broader challenges associated with contemporary art. 

Image: Isobel Finlay cleaning ‘The Violinist’ c. 1960 by Peter Laszlo Peri in the 7th Floor Conservation Lab at Marshgate UCl East. 

My Motivations and Aspirations 

I chose this course for its comprehensive curriculum - modules on conserving contemporary art and time-based media, communicating conservation to wider audiences, and opportunities to collaborate with institutions like the V&A and international museums through placements. After graduating, I aim to continue growing as a conservator within an art museum environment. 

The Gabo Trust Scholarship 

The Gabo Trust Scholarship has been instrumental in allowing me to focus entirely on my studies. Without this financial support, I would have faced significant difficulties relocating to Düsseldorf, Germany, living abroad for three months to undertake my placement at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein Westfalen, and affording London living expenses on my return. The experience has allowed me to contextualise the knowledge I gained during my first year and enriched my understanding of conservation practices. The Scholarship has given me something invaluable - peace of mind. 

About Me 

My academic journey began with a History of Art degree at the University of Cambridge, where I explored queer, global, and racialised approaches in contemporary art, media, and culture. This foundation shaped my professional path, leading me to roles at institutions like Sotheby’s, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Whitechapel Gallery. My formative experience was at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham. I developed and delivered a multifaceted artistic programme in this Black-led community arts space. Here, I learned that art must empower both audiences and practitioners.

My Motivations 

Conservation offers a chance to highlight overlooked histories and narratives, enriching our cultural landscape. This belief led me to pursue the MSc in Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media. As a working-class, disabled Black student estranged from my family, this journey would have been impossible without the Gabo Trust scholarship, which has made this opportunity accessible and reaffirmed my commitment to fostering inclusive spaces in the arts. 

Image: Christine Pungong (centre) with some of her classmates in the 7th Floor Conservation Lab at Marshgate UCl East examining a piece of neon during a workshop on the conservation of neon artworks. Photo James Tye.  
 

My Aspirations 

After acquiring new skills and perspectives from my MSc, I aim to become an accredited conservation professional within a public arts institution. My goal is to democratise the conservation and experience of art, ensuring diverse cultural expressions inspire future generations. 

The Gabo Trust Scholarship 

Studying Naum Gabo’s avant-garde work during my undergraduate degree makes receiving this scholarship feel serendipitous. His radical approach and commitment to utopian ideals resonate deeply with my own conservation ethos. I am honoured to be part of this ambitious programme at such a prestigious university, and I’m profoundly grateful for the transformative opportunities made possible by the Gabo Trust. 

This academic journey not only advances my career but also supports a broader mission—ensuring the arts remain accessible, representative, and empowering for all. The Gabo Trust scholarship has been instrumental in enabling me to pursue this course and providing financial stability to focus on my studies. This support brings me closer to my dream of contributing to a more equitable arts sector. 

I hold a degree in Studio Arts with a focus on painting, complemented by internships at galleries and museums, where I gained hands-on experience working with diverse contemporary art collections. Later, I pursued a second degree in Art History, balancing my studies with a full-time role in cataloguing and organising events at an auction house. Before beginning my MSc at UCL, I worked as a lecturer in the Art History department at the University of the Philippines, my alma mater. I am currently on placement at the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh. 

My Motivations 

Growing up in the Philippines, I witnessed a significant lack of opportunities and resources for art conservation, particularly in contemporary art - an area I have long been passionate about. This gap deepened my interest in conservation and motivated me to find ways to advocate for and contribute to the development of the field within my community. 

With no degree programs in conservation available in my country, I was thrilled to discover UCL's innovative program, which aligns perfectly with my experience and aspirations. The opportunity to work with modern materials, such as plastics and 3D-printed objects, has broadened my understanding of contemporary conservation challenges.  

Image: Catherine Campos cleaning “Confrontiers. Quoting Ibn Khaldun II” Everlyn Nicodemus(1997) for the Everlyn Nicodemus retrospective at the National Galleries of Scotland. Photograph taken by Lauren Chiu.” 

My Aspirations 

My ambition is to become a conservator specialising in objects and contemporary art. I am particularly drawn to the challenges of working with diverse materials, from large-scale painted steel sculptures to deteriorating plastics requiring complex storage solutions. In the long term, I hope to contribute to developing dedicated conservation programs in regions where such expertise is currently unavailable, helping to expand the field globally. 

The Gabo Trust Scholarship 

The Scholarship has allowed me to extend my placement at the National Galleries of Scotland from one month to two, enabling me to engage more deeply with conservation work. This extended time has been invaluable, allowing me to collaborate with specialists across various conservation disciplines, conduct independent research, and visit studios to consider the future preservation needs of works still in progress. I have also gained significant hands-on experience with sculptures, contributed to collaborative problem-solving, and supported the development of upcoming exhibitions. 

The scholarship has been instrumental in easing the financial strain of studying in London and relocating to Edinburgh for my internship. The MSc programme has allowed me to conduct meaningful experiments in state-of-the-art lab facilities, and the support of the Scholarship has enabled me to focus fully on this important work.