professional daydreamer

Guided by curiosity, art historian and curator Grace Lai is drawn to objects marginalised by dominant histories. Her research positions material culture as a lens for unravelling how value and meaning are constructed. She contributes reviews and essays to exhibtion catalogues, journals and magazines, with a focus on ceramics, glass, jewellery, and surface design. Her independent curatorial practice centers on creating immersive experiences that challenge unexamined assumptions and inherited perspectives, explored most recently in her Sweet Labour project. Her considered judgement has been drawn upon for international awards including Linda Peshkin AJF Solo Exhibition Award (United States), Ceramics NZ 61st Exhibition (Aotearoa New Zealand) and FUZE Glass Prize (Australia).
 
Grace is currently the Curator of Applied Arts and Design at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, where she stewards the development, research and exhibition of a nationally significant archive of craft that spans from the 1st century to present day. In her institutional role, she shapes critical exhibitions and reimagines legacy galleries -  selected projects includes Carried Away: Bags Unpacked (2019), Arts of Asia: Beauty in the Everyday (2024) and Te Puna Whakarākei Jewellery as Statement (2025). These exhibtions reframe the collection to expand representation, interpretative narrative and contemporary craft discourse.