Kai Ching Hsiao

Why did you choose to come to Leeds University to study the above course?

There are three reasons why I choose the come to Leeds. Firstly, the culture and creativity industry is a significant and historical discipline in the UK, there are plenty of successful study cases can be seen in different cities of the UK. We can see there are many heritages and old areas regenerated by the power of culture and creative industry, such as the area besides Leeds Royal Armouries Museum, the churches in the city centre and the country side like Left Bank Leeds…etc. Secondly, the University is in the top 100 university rankings in the world, it is ranked before 10 in the UK which means it is recognised by companies in the world. Thirdly, Leeds is a convenient city with abundant sources of transportation, then people can travel around easily in the UK.

What did you enjoy about your course?

I enjoyed the period of internship. Originally, the School provided us with an organisation list in order to let us find the place more easily, then I thought I do not want to do the same thing as others. Therefore, I tried to be the volunteer at Left Bank Leeds and tried to ask the leader if I can do something there. Due to the professions of ink painting and calligraphy of mine, I try to do the presentation to let the staff of Left Bank Leeds believe that I can do some workshops/ events to attract more people to engage with the venue. Then, we start from the date 4th, March 2016, and set the Dragon Boat Festival as the topic, taught people how to paint the ink painting and calligraphy in a Chinese style, and realise the meaning and skills of the materials and the meaning of festival at the same time. According to this experience, I do it as a research and put it into the dissertation as a study case. I made some good friends from the local and also all over the world, and realise more about the history of Left Bank Leeds and the Yorkshire. It a very impressive and meaningful experience for myself in the UK.

What were the highlights of the course/programme?

Art management and marketing can be the highlights of the course to me.

What were the highlights of your time at the University of Leeds? 

I love the campus’ environment and the architecture at the University of Leeds, there are plenty of events on campus. You can also have a drink with friends and dance in the bar inside the campus.

What did you think about the facilities (library / computers etc) available to students?

There are at least 5 libraries on the campus, the most I like is Brotherton library (the traditional style) and the Edward (with bright light systems and windows). And the libraries are all for 24 hrs, it’s very friendly to the student who have more ideas on dissertation at night (like me).

Was it easy to make friends with people on your course/the wider university?

Yes, it is easy to make friends on the course, especially when you do the discussion in a group. But I think it’s not diverse in the course, most of the classmates can speak Chinese, then we sometimes discuss with our mother tongue language, it’s not easy to transfer immediately when you are going to answer the question with your teacher in the class.

What are your ambitions for the future?

To be an international curator. Work with curators, artists, collectors and the people who love arts. And hope one day I can do something interesting related to art for the audience in Leeds again.

What have you done or where have you worked since graduating from the University of Leeds?

I am working at Tainan Art Museum in Taiwan, which is a brand new art museum since 27th, January 2019. It is the first art museum in Taiwan to operate as an executive agency (a government department that functions separately managerially with an independent budget). I have curated an exhibition ‘Formosa Evergreen’ and trying to connect with the art organisation and art museum, to recommend an exhibition curated by us at the moment.