Orla Houston-Jibo

As an emerging curator of contemporary art, my curatorial position can be summarised as a focus on intersections: the intersection of fine art and design, the intersection of contemporary culture and historical contexts, the intersection of visual practices and socio-political frameworks, and the intersection of contemporary art with popular culture and music.


My broad range of interests reflects my educational background in art history and fashion studies, my experience of living in diverse locales such as Dublin, Rio de Janeiro, Manchester and Nigeria, and my work in a design-focused institution (the Victoria and Albert Museum) over the past two years.


Geographically, I am focused on the histories and contemporary practices of visual culture in South and Latin America (particularly Brazil), Asia (particularly India), and across Africa — as well as in Europe and the USA.


While at the V&A; I have worked on a range of exhibitions and events including Decode: Digital Design Sensations, Figures & Fictions: Contemporary South African Photography, V&A; Friday Late Summer Camp, Friday Late Afropolitans, and the major forthcoming exhibition, India Design Now (2012). Within these V&A; Contemporary Programmes projects, I have performed varied roles, including those of curator, exhibition researcher and project manager.


Host organisation: Victoria and Albert Museum, London