What Our Bodies Leave Behind

Artists: Alice Burnhope, Weiyi Chen, enorê, Lydia Lott, Manuel Alejandro Hernandez Rivera, felix taylor, Yanliang Xu.

The MA Curating and Collections course at Chelsea College of Arts, under the leadership of Course Leader Dr. Lina Džuverović and Senior Lecturer, Dr. Karen Di Franco, announces the class of 2026 MA Degree Show titled What Our Bodies Leave Behind.  

This year’s cohort has developed their skills through hands‑on work with archives and collections, artist collaborations, and research labs led by partner organisations. What Our Bodies Leave Behind presents the outcomes of six Curatorial Research Labs—three‑month clusters designed with partner institutions to deepen research skills, curatorial practice, and critical engagement with collections. This year’s Labs included: Curating Moving Image with the Artangel Collection (led by Persilia Caton); Sound Capsule with Mosaic Rooms (led by Angelina Radaković and Siegrun Salmanian); and Social Practice and the Public Realm with Peer Gallery (led by Ellen Grieg). Students also worked with UAL’s Ballets Russes Collection at the Archives and Special Collections Centre (led by Jacqueline Winston‑Silk) and explored Publishing Affinities in the Special Collections at Chelsea College of Arts Library (led by Dr. Karen Di Franco). A sixth lab focused on Artist–Curator Relationships, in collaboration with MA Fine Art students at Chelsea (led by Mariana Lemos and Manmeet K Walia).

Students further expanded their sector knowledge through Voices Shaping Curating, a new talks series featuring Marina Doritis, Professor Paul Goodwin, Chris McCormack, Morgan Quaintance, Adrian Searle, Dr Martha Weiss, and Linsey Young, who shared insights into their practices. 

Thinking through the liveness of material, What Our Bodies Leave Behind considers how bodies are contained, organised, and documented within archival forms, and how they might exist beyond these static frames.

Expanding the body beyond its corporeal form, digital, sonic, material and archival traces unfold across the Cookhouse Gallery. Material from the Ballets Russes Collection contains traces of movement through makeup stains, damage, and designs which signal the fluidity of dancing. Scores by felix taylor seek to contemplate how sound leaves traces that linger in the brain. 3D-printed ceramics of bodily forms by enorê question what it means to archive a body that has been historically misread. A modern reimagining of neolithic structures by Alice Burnhope evokes the island of Jersey’s past, present, and future through a community-co-created soft sculpture, while scores and publications coax readers into bodily engagement with their pages through specific instructions. Lydia Lott and Yanliang Xu’s respective works question how marks of labour and the everyday are documented. Textile works by Manuel Alejandro Hernandez Rivera and Weiyi Chen seek to capture memories through materiality.

MA CC is a fifteen-month programme that includes curatorial labs alongside programming where students learn directly from professionals across the sector, enjoying unique access to art and design archives and collections, and collaborations with practicing artists. For more information about the programme contact Course Leader Lina Džuverović: l.dzuverovic@arts.ac.uk. To RSVP to the alumni and friends reception, email Course Administrator Ferdinand Orleans-Lindsay: f.orleanslindsay@arts.ac.uk.

Degree show team
Degree Show Producers: Sejin Park and Lorenza Herrasti. / Finance: Xinzhu (Xixi) Huang and Zien Shangguan, led by Caterina Nodari. / Technical: Stanley Cheng-Chen Cheng, Liwen Fu (Rain), Ziyan (Miko) Han, Hsin-yi Huang and Xinyi (Astrid) Huang, led by Yifei (Faye) Chen. / Registrars: Gabriella Diedloff and Andrea Mathews. / Visual Identity: Neeve Galvin, Yan Hu, Jialu (Eva) Liu, Xinyi Liu, Wei-Chen (Chloe) Lu, Lina Smykowska, Yuchen Wu, Qingxuan (Krystal) Zhang and Qiyang (Jessi) Zheng, led by Kaitlyn White. / Marketing and Social Media: Liulin (Elaine) Guo, Yutong (Caroline) Huang, Yutong Huo, Wenhao (Violet) Li, Chu (Claire) Qing, Zixuan (Eva) Wang, Chiao-yu (Angelina) Wen and Junze Zhang, led by Phoebe Harrogate. / Writing and Copy Editing: Yara Aljishi, Junqian (Arianna) Chen, Yasmeen Khazindar, Sophie Leveridge, Lauren Power, Yangyang Song and Yifan Zhang, led by Imogen Holt. / Image Editing: Ruimin (Fufu) Fu, Yan Hu, Wenxi Lei, Xinwen Liu, Yan Yan, Qianyu Zhou and  Kefang Zi, led by Feitong (Karina) Ren. / Photography and Videography: Yuxuan (Will) Hu, Meixuan (May) Li, Yao Li, Xinwen Liu, Jiayu (Iris) Mu, Chen Yao and Qianyu Zhou, led by Naomi Lo. / Artist Liaison: Yara Aljishi, Xinzhu (Xixi) Huang, Naomi Lo, Lauren Power and Yangyang Song, led by Yasmeen Khazindar.

What Our Bodies Leave Behind is accompanied by a publication, which is available at the exhibition.

*Ballet Russes materials have been provided by the Archives and Special Collections Centre, London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. Artists' books and publications have been provided by the Chelsea College of Arts Library, University of the Arts London. With thanks to Siobhán Britton, Jacqueline Winston-Silk and staff.